Birth of Pleasure: The Story of Cupid and Psyche, From Apuleius:

From the INTRODUCTION. APULEIUS, the author of this beautiful episode, was a native of Madaura, an inland town of Africa, where he was born in the early part of the second century. He received the first rudiments of education at Carthage, and there adopted the Platonic system of philosophy, in which he perfected himself by subsequent studies at Athens. His works are numerous, of which, probably, the most celebrated is The Golden Ass, from which the story of Cupid and Psyche is taken. In thi...