APULE'IUS, Lucius. A satirical writer of the Second Century. Ile was born at Madaura, in Africa, where his father was a magistrate, and EL man of large fortune. Apu]eius first studied at Carthage, which at one time enjoyed a high rep utation for its school of literature. Afterward he went to Athens, where he entered keenly upon the study of philosophy, displaying a special pre dilection for the Platonic School. The fortune bequeathed to him at his father's death enabled Apuleius to travel extensively. lie visited Asia and Italy, and was initiated into numerous re ligious mysteries. The knowledge which lie thus acquired of the priestly fraternities, he made abundant use of afterward in his Golden Ass. His first appearance in literature arose from a lawsuit. Having married a middle-aged lady, named Pudentilla, very wealthy, but not particu larly handsome, he drew down upon his head the malice of her relatives, who desired to inherit her riches, and who accused the youth of having employed magic to gain her a ffectilins. Dis de fense (apologia, still extant) spoken before Claudius Maximus, proconsul of Africa, was an eloquent and successful vindication of his con duct. After this event his life appears to have been devoted zealously to literature and public oratory, in both of which he attained great emi nence. He was extremely popular, so that Carthage and other cities erected statues in his honor.
The Metamorphoses, or Golden Ass, the work by which his reputation has survived, is a ro mance or novel, whose principal personage is one Lucian, supposed by some, though on insufficient evidence, to be the author himself. It is generally
understood to have been intended as a satire on the vices of the age, especially those of the priest hood, and of quacks or jugglers affecting super natural powers, though Bishop Warburton and other critics fancied they could detect in it an indirect apology for paganism. Its merits are both great and conspicuous, as are also its faults. Wit, humor, satire, fancy, learning, and even poetic eloquence abound: but the style is disfigured by excessive archaisms, and there is a frequent affectation in the metaphors, etc., which proves Apuleius to have been somewhat artificial in his rhetoric. The most exquisite thing in the whole work is the episode of Cupid and Psyche (imitated by La Fontaine; separate edition by Jahn, Leipzig, 1858). It is supposed to be an allegory of the progress of the soul to perfection. Besides the Apologia and Golden Ass, we have from the pen of Apuleius an an thology in four books. a work on the da•on of Socrates, one on the doctrines of Plato, one on The Universe, etc. A considerable number of his works are lost. The most recent and careful edition is by J. van de Vliet, the Ilelamorphoses (Leipzig, 1897) ; Apologia and Florida (Leipzig, 1900). The Golden Ass was translated into English by T. Taylor (London, 18•2), and again by Sir G. Head (London, 1851). A still earlier translation by Adlington in 1566 has been republished, in an introduction by Whib lery (London, 1893). An English version of the works of Apuleius was published in Lon don, 1353.