APULEIUS Lucius, a Platonic philosopher, whose name has been rendred famous by several works, par ticularly his Metamorphoses, or Golden Ass. He was born at Madaura, a Roman colony in Africa. The time of his birth is not exactly known, but it appears from his works, that he lived under the Antonines. His family was considerable, in the colony, and his father held the office of Duumvir, the principal dignity in the place. Apuleius studied successively at Carthage, at Athens, and at Rome ; at which latter place, he acquired the Latin language in great perfection, without the assis tance of a teacher, and became so much master of it, that he laid aside his mongrel Greek, and soon became a celebrated orator and pleader at Rome. In his youth he had a most rambling disposition, and an insatiable thirst after knowledge. He travelled into many countries, and was initiated into the mysteries of almost all religions. Having stored his head with this information, and dis sipated his patrimony by expensive peregrinations, he returned to Rome, so poor, that, wishing to consecrate himself to Osiris, he was obliged to sell his clothes, to defray the expellees of initiation. now gained his livelihood by pleading causes ; and, from the reputation of his eloquence -and acuteness, soon got into great practice. Ile was more successful, however, in a suit of a different kind, which he to a rich widow ; and by marrying her, he became not only independent, but wealthy. Tie relations of the lady appear to have been enraged that so much wealth should have gone past them ; and in order to be revenged, they accused Apuleius before the proconsul of Africa, of having em ployed sorcery and magical arts to entrap her heart. This accusation drew from him a long and learned apolo gy, in which he successfully repels the charges of his enemies. It must be confessed, however, that he was more attentive to his own vindication, than to the credit of his wife. For, in the first place, he states, quite unequivocally, that she could not live without a husband, and that therefore no incantations were necessary to in duce her to take the step which she had done. In the next place, he says, that she was neither young nor pretty, and therefore not a very tempting object to try enchantments upon. In short, he affirms, that he had taken her merely as a philosophic burden, at the re quest of one of her sons, whom she had by her former husband.
Absurd as this charge of magic may appear, yet it is not wonderful that it should have been fastened upon Apulcius. He appears to have been one of the empiri cal Platonists, who pretended to great knowledge in re condite and mysterious rites. He himself appears to have been a believer in the power of magic. In his Golden Ass, his principal work, he confesses that he was, "Illagix noscendx ardentissimus cujzitor :" and the whole of that production is filled with gossipping stories about witches and enchantments. In an age then, when such trumpery was believed, it is no great wonder that Apuleius should acquire the character of a magician. Indeed the latter Pagans have classed Apuleius with Apollonius of Tyana, and have pretended that their miracles equal those of our Lord. This nonsense was so current in the time of St Augustin, that lie was re quested to publish a refutation of it. (Vid. efiist. 4.)
The credit of Apuleius as an author rests chiefly on his metamorphoses, or Golden Ass, in eleven books. The substance of the story is this : Apuleius represents himself to have had an intrigue with the confidential servant of an eminent sorceress, by whom he is made acquainted with some of the arcana of her mistress. The servant herself, it appears, was an adept ; and, at the earnest request of her paramour, made an attempt to transform him into a bird, under a conviction that she could soon restore him to his former shape. By some mischance, however, she laid her hands on the wrong box of ointment, which being applied to the per son of her lover, instead of a bird, he was instantly trans formed into a hideous Ass. In this state lie is seized by a band of robbers, and loaded with plunder. He re lates all his own adventures in this new form, many of which are sufficiently ludicrous. He also givesa detail of the various exploits of the robbers, and the other masters through whose hands he passed. In the sub terranean retreat of the banditti, he is committed to the care of an aged female, the only one of her sex that graced these gloomy mansions. One day, however, a 'beautiful young lady is dragged in by the robbers, and consigned over to the care of this hag-like duenlia. Tho lady of course is inconsolable : her keeper, in order to comfort her, introduces the long episode of Cupid and Psyche, which runs through part of the fourth, the whole of the fifth, and the greater part of the sixth hooks. The remaining books are filled with a great variety of adventures, till the author recovers his natural form.
The Golden Ass of Apulcius has furnished materials for romances of every description, from the Psyche of Fontaine, down to Beauty and the Beast, in :Misses' Magazines. In the ninth book will be found, the original of one of the wittiest, though not one of the purest, of Boccace's Tales. One would think that Le Sage had _drawn his description of the robbers' cave, in Gil Blas, from the Golden Ass of Apuleius. Some have pretend ed to discover a moral running through this work : If there is such a thing, it is certainly not very obvious to an ordinary reader. The only moral maxim which seems to be frequently inculcated, is submission to Divine Providence. But this valuable maxim is most awk wardly handled : No attempt is made to " vindicate the ways of God to man ;" and the object of the author seems to be, to sanction that absurd fatalism, which would re press enquiry, and which would humble, without in structing, the human mind. But we have a still more serious charge than this against this chi d'airiiiie of this pretended philosopher : So much disgusting obsce nity occurs in various parts of it, as is sufficient to damn for ever the reputation of this impure Platonist. It can not be for the instruction of our readers to substantiate this charge : They had, perhaps, better take it on our word, than give themselves the trouble to ascertain its accuracy.
Besides the editions of Apuleius, mentioned by Bayle, there are, L. ?puleii Opera, Andrim 24.87—a Tuccio 1512,—a Vulcanio 1601—cum notis variorum, 2 vol. 2 vol. 4to edit. ,opt. See Beckmann's Mist, of Inventions, vol. ii. p. 48. (.0