APULEIUS, or APPULEIUS, Lucius, a satirist and philosopher of the 2d century: b. at Madaura, in Numidia; the time of his death is unknown. He was author of the cele brated satirical romance called the 'Golden Ass.' He first studied at Carthage, then re nowned as a school of literature, and afterward went to Athens, where he became an ardent follower of the Platonic philosophy. Falling ill while on a journey he was hospitably received in the house of Sidneus Pontianus, a former fellow-student, whose widowed mother Apu leius married. Soon after Pontianus died, and the relatives of the rich widow publicly accused Apuleius of having used magical arts to gain her love. The speech by which he successfully defended himself 'Apologia sive Oratio de Ma gia,) is still extant. The remainder of his life, which he devoted to oratory and literature, seems to have been passed at Carthage, where, as in some other cities, a statue was erected in his honor. His 'Metamorphoses,' 'Golden Ass,' a romance in 11 books, contains wit, humor, powerful satire and much poetical merit. It is supposed to have been intended as
a satire on the hypocrisy and debauchery of certain orders of priests, on the tricks of pre tenders to supernatural powers and on the prevalent vices generally. The finest part of this work is the episode of Psyche, called by Herder the most tender and many-sided of all romances. It is sufficient to render him im mortal, even if he be, as some -have supposed, only the narrator and not the inventor of the story. Apuleius was also the author of many works on philosophy and rhetoric, some of which are still extant. Cervantes, Le Sage, Boccaccio and others are indebted to Apuleius for various episodes. Consult edition of his com plete works, Hildebrand (1842) ; Van Vlict (1897-1900). An English translation by Head was published in Bohn's Classical Library in 1851. See GOLDEN Ass, THE.