Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/321

 A P R O S I O. 258 very high eulogium upon him. [c] This was printed at Venice in 1647, in quarto. APULEIUS (Lucius), a Platonic philofopher, lived inPithacos the feconcl century, under the Antonines, and was born at Advt '. r Madaura [A], a Roman colony in Africa. He ftudicd firft,'^'' at Carthage, then at Athens, and afterwards at Rome, where he learned the Latin tongue without the help of a mafter. He was a man of a curious and inquifitive difpofition, efpeci- ally in religious matters, which prompted him to take feveral journies, and to enter into feveral focieties of religion. He had a ftrone defiretobe acquainted with th':,ir pretended my- fkric, and for this reafon got himfelf initiated into them. Hefpent alrhoft his whole fortune in travelling; fo that, at his return to Rome, when he was about to dedicate himfelf to the fervice of Oiiris, he had not money enough to defray the expence attending the ceremonies of his reception, andApulcius was obliged to pawn his cloaths to raife the necellary fu m. j^* 1 * lie fupported himfelf afterwards by pleading caufes; and as p. 27I , he was a great mailer of eloquence, and of a fubtle genius, many confiderable caufes were trufted to him. But he availed Ib <*> himfelf more by a good marriage, than by his pleadings: a widow, named Pudentilla, who was neither young nor handfome, but wanted a hufband, and was very rich, took a great fancy to him. This marriage drew upon him a troublefomi law-fuit : the relations of the lady pretended he made ufe of Ibrc^ry to gain her heart ar,d money, and accord- ingly ace u ltd Mm of being a magician before Claudius Maxim us, proconful of Africa. Apulei,us was under no grrv.t difficulty in making his defence ; for as Pudentilla wa, determined, from ccnfiderations of health, to enter upon a 1'Cond marr:-io;e, even before fne had feen this pretended magician, the youth, deportment, pleafmg coverfation, vi- v;icity,2nd other agreeable qualities of Apuleius, were charms fuffiv lent ro engsgc her heart. He had the moft favourable Ofrpor tu fifties too TOf gaining her friendftvip ; for he lodged foincciii.c at ner houfe, ana wa? g atly beloved by Puden- tilia's eldeft  3 10t wonder," laid AiMiU-ius, in his defence, *' that a woman ' :!i,Mjld marty a.uin, after having liveu a widow thirteen ) This city, which belonged to Romans. Apul. Apologia, p. 289. Syp h*x, w'is given tc Mifmitra by the J* year??
 * l miade' i fignnri Incogniti di Venctia" [c], where there is a