Seventeenth-Century French Translations of the Consolatio Philosophiae of Boethius in New Zealand

When the last of the medieval French translations of the Consolatio Philosophiae appeared in 1477 as a printed book, the work had an easy transition from manuscript to print. However, it was not until the end of the sixteenth century and early seventeenth century that new translations appeared, the first two being of limited diffusion. The two following translations by René de Ceriziers and Nicolas Régnier were more widely known. Copies of both these translations, belonging to a private New Zealand collection, will be described and sample passages compared. They reflect interest in Boethius’s thought and its compatibility with Christian theology.