The Works of Apuleius (Golden Ass, God of Socrates, Florida, On the Doctrines of Plato)

are my old nurseries."My old nurseries" (Latin: 'Mea vetus prosapia est'). Taylor, following the Delphin interpretation, translates this as: 'are the ancient origins of my race.' This version is accepted by many commentators, though it lacks common sense. If Lucius, a native of Medaura in Africa, intended to identify his ancestors' homeland, why would he omit Thessaly, his mother's ancestral home? It is possible his father traced his lineage to one of the places named, but that would not imply Lucius studied in all three. His goal is to inform the reader that Greek was his youth's language, while Latin was a later, painful acquisition. We believe 'prosapia' (lineage) is used here figuratively, much like Englishmen speak of their university as their 'alma mater.' Unfortunately, as Quintilian notes, 'prosapia' is an obsolete word to which Apuleius and his contemporary Aulus Gellius were inordinately addicted. At any rate, 'original seat of a race' is as arbitrary a translation as any other.—K. There, in the early studies of my youth, I learned the Attic tongue. Soon after, as a stranger in the Latin city, I applied myself to the study of the native language of the Romans, which I acquired with painful labor, without the help of a teacher.

Behold, then, I preface by asking your pardon should I in any way offend by my unskillful use of a strange and foreign tongue. Indeed, this very change of language befits the description of the art of magic, which we intend to treat here. We will begin, then, a Grecian story:This name is likely given to the story because it is set in Thessaly. It is also possible he calls the work by this title because he derived it from Lucius of Patræ, a Greek writer from whom Lucian also derived his similar work, 'Onos' (The Ass). Reader, attend; you will be delighted.