Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

placement of these bead men at the beginning of his list, demonstrates Alfred’s emphasis on the importance
of proper, honorable Christian worship in a well-ordered kingdom. In this moment, Alfred’s addition
makes sense to the function of Boethius’ Consolation, by supplanting the philosophy, which Boethius offers as
comfort, for an entity that would resonate more with Alfred’s Anglo-Saxon subjects: worship that leads to a
stable kingdom.
Furthermore, Alfred’s concern with treachery and false friends is evident in Chapter XXIV of his
translation of the Consolation of Philosophy. Keynes and Lapidge discuss Alfred’s concern with treachery,
saying, “[Alfred] lays great stress on the keeping of oaths; he announces severe punishment for treachery to
a lord, and especially for treachery to a king” (39). Both Boethius and Alfred, in their respective texts,
discuss the importance of true friendship in achieving virtue in one’s life. In Boethius’ Consolation,
Philosophy discusses friendship in regards to its capability to aid men in achieving good. She states, “The
most sacred category of good, that of friendship, lies in the province of virtue rather than Fortune”
(Boethius 42). Philosophy sheds only a positive light on the good that true friendship can bring. On the
other hand, Alfred makes clear his reservations about the ability to find truly good and trustworthy friends.
Alfred’s Boethius states, “Nature joins friends together and unites them with a very inseparable love; but by
means of these worldly goods and the wealth of this life we oftener make foes than friends” (46). This
addition marks a clear departure from the discussion of seemingly benign friendship that Philosophy offers
in Boethius’ text. Alfred directly references the current situation in England with the phrase, “with these
worldly goods and the wealth of this life.” In a kingdom recently freed from political conflict, Alfred was
quite troubled by the thought of internal threats and treason. While Alfred may not have personally dealt
with any realized attacks on his position, his preoccupation with the ideological and philosophical threat of
treason in a well-ordered kingdom, a worry that would have existed for the leader of any powerful
kingdom, is evident through this particular addition to the original Boethian text.
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