The Life of Lucius Apuleius Briefly Described


LUCIUS APULEIUS African, an excellent follower of Plato his sect, born
in Madaura, a Countrey sometime inhabited by the Romans, and under the
jurisdiction of Syphax, scituate and lying on the borders of Numidia and
Getulia, whereby he calleth himself half a Numidian and half a Getulian:
and Sidonius named him the Platonian Madaurence: his father called
Theseus had passed all offices of dignity in his countrey with much
honour. His mother named Salvia was of such excellent vertue, that
she passed all the Dames of her time, borne of an ancient house, and
descended from the philosopher Plutarch, and Sextus his nephew. His
wife called Prudentila was endowed with as much vertue and riches as
any woman might be. Hee himselfe was of an high and comely stature,
gray eyed, his haire yellow, and a beautiful personage. He flourished
in Carthage in the time of Iolianus Avitus and Cl. Maximus Proconsuls,
where he spent his youth in learning the liberall sciences, and much
profited under his masters there, whereby not without cause hee calleth
himself the Nource of Carthage, and the celestial Muse and venerable
mistresse of Africke. Soone after, at Athens (where in times past the
well of all doctrine flourished) he tasted many of the cups of the
muses, he learned the Poetry, Geometry, Musicke, Logicke, and the
universall knowledge of Philosophy, and studied not in vaine the nine
Muses, that is to say, the nine noble and royal disciplines.

Immediately after he went to Rome, and studied there the Latine tongue,
with such labour and continuall study, that he achieved to great
eloquence, and was known and approved to be excellently learned, whereby