d’Emilia (Theseid, or on the nuptials of Emily). However,
it was after his return to Florence that he composed his
masterpiece, the Decameron. Begun in the late 1340s, it
is a FRAME NARRATIVE comprising 100 tales told by seven
women and three men who have fl ed to the country
seeking refuge from the plague (see BLACK DEATH).
Though the stories vary widely, the collection as a
whole presents humans overcoming changing fortunes
and inevitable tribulations using their wit and skill
(ingegno).
About 1350, Boccaccio met PETRARCH (Francesco
Petrarca), which had a profound impact on him.
Afterward, Boccaccio wrote predominantly in Latin,
turning away from the Italian VERNACULAR that he had
favored before. In these later years, he produced an
encyclopedic account of the gods, Genealogia gentil-
ium deorum (Genealogy of the Gentile Gods), as well as
two compendious catalogues of famous men and
women, De casibus virorum illustrium and the De muli-
eribus claris.
Boccaccio’s infl uence in England is most profoundly
felt in the work of GEOFFREY CHAUCER, and subsequent
use of Boccaccio owes a great deal to Chaucer’s transla-
tions and transmission of his work. For instance, the
opening tale of The CANTERBURY TALES, told by the
Knight, is derived from the Teseida. Book 7 of the Tese-
ida is used again for the representation of the temple of
Venus in The PARLIAMENT OF FOWLS. Filostrato, which
features the story of Troilus and Cressida, inspired
numerous adaptations, including ones by Chaucer,
ROBERT HENRYSON, and WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. The
Decameron provides direct analogues for “The REEVE’S
TALE,” “The Clerk’s Tale,” “The Merchant’s Tale,” “The
Franklin’s Tale,” and “The Shipman’s Tale,” and it has
connections with “The MAN OF LAW’S TALE,” “The PAR-
DONER’S TALE,” and “The MILLER’S PROLOGUE AND TALE.”
In the 15th century, JOHN LYDGATE made use of Boccac-
cio’s work as well, as his The FALL OF PRINCES is indebted
to the De casibus via French translation.
FURTHER READING
Bergin, Thomas G. Boccaccio. New York: Viking, 1981.
Wallace, David. Chaucer and the Early Writings of Boccaccio.
Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1985.
K. P. Clarke
BOETHIUS (ANICIUS MANLIUS SEV-
ERINUS BOETHIUS) (480–525) Anicius
Manlius Severinus Boethius was born in Rome to a
politically infl uential family. Orphaned at a young age,
he was raised in the household of Symmachus, a well-
known aristocrat of the time, and eventually he mar-
ried Rusticiana, Symmachus’s daughter, with whom he
had two sons.
Boethius is often dubbed the last of the ancients and
fi rst of the scholastics, refl ecting his pivotal position
between classical Greek and Roman traditions and
those of the medieval period. He became consul in 510
and by 520 was magister offi ciorum to Theodoric the
Great. He was accused of treason in 523 and was even-
tually executed. His guilt or innocence in regard to the
charges remains controversial to this day. While in
prison, Boethius wrote The CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY,
which, although largely ignored at the time, became a
highly infl uential work throughout the medieval period
and was later translated by ALFRED THE GREAT, GEOFFREY
CHAUCER, and Queen ELIZABETH I.
See also FORTUNE, METERS OF BOETHIUS.
Lisa L. Borden-King“BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL” (“BON-
NIE JAMES CAMPBELL”) ANONYMOUS (15th
century) In its various versions, “Bonnie George
Campbell” refl ects a relatively common theme of tragic
folk BALLADs: the death of a handsome young hero and
the resulting sadness for his loved ones. The concen-
trated power of this ballad is typical of the genre. Bonnie
George—or Bonnie James—Campbell rides off boldly.
His horse, still saddled and bridled, then returns with-
out him, and his family must consider him dead. Poi-
gnantly, we feel their grief. Whether the “bonnie”
(handsome) hero rode to war or not is subject to the ver-
sion of the song being considered and its interpretation.
In The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Francis
Child includes four versions of the song (labeled A, B,
C, and D), of which the C version of the ballad is the
best known. It begins “Hie upon Hielands, / and laigh
upon Tay, / Bonnie George Campbell / rode out on a
day” (ll. 1–4). This version apparently grew out of the
idea that Bonnie George was going to war. Later editors“BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL” 87