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As an aside, I relate the story of the trial of Sophocles. He too was accused unjustly and yet read his defense so brilliantly that the judges almost charged his accuser with the same crime. Now let the preface and something about fish be read aloud from my book. 

(1)

Eurīpidī: objective genitive with aemulus and superstes.

superstes: "survivor of," + gen. Sophocles outlived Euripides.

vīxit enim ad extrēmam senectam: the explanatory force of enim here is to address the common conception of Sophocles as an earlier poet than Euripides.  The former only outlived the latter due to his extreme longevity.

igitur: "because of this," i.e., because of his extremely advanced old age.

dēmentiae: "senility," rather than madness. Genitive of the charge with accūsārētur (AG 352).

per aetātem: "due to his age."

quasi ... dēsiperet: "on the grounds he was in mental decline," OLD quasi 5.

Colōnēum suam: "his Oedipus at Colonus," feminine as if Colōnēum = tragoediam. The story is also told by Plutarch (An sit seni respublica gereneda sit 3 = Moralia 785 B), and by the anonymous author of a life of Sophocles. It was the first stasimon (lines 668-719) that he recited (B/O).

(2)

eam: "it" = the play, direct object of lēgisse.

lēgisse: continuing from Sophoclēs ... dīcitur above.

prō: "on behalf of."

addidisse: continuing from Sophoclēs ... dīcitur.

nisi ut: "except (he added) that," + subj. in an indirect command, AG 563.

dēmentiae: genitive of charge.

senis: "of an old man," referring to Sophocles himself.

(3)

Ibi: "at that point (in the story)."

comperior: "I find" through research (OLD comperio 1). 

adsurrēxisse: "gave a standing ovation."

laudibus ... tulisse: "extolled," "praised highly," LS fero II.B.1.

coturnum: "the high (tragic) style," LS cothurnus II.B.2.c.

nec … multum omnēs āfuisse quīn: "and that they were all not far off from," "that they all almost," + subjunctive (condemnārent).

accūsātōrem ... condemnārent: a subtle reminder of the severe punishments for calumnia which Apuleius has already hinted at. They included the branding of the forehead with the letter K for kalumniator, among other penalties. See Berger, Calumnia.

potius: "instead."

(4)

tū: a court clerk or assistant. See above, 36.8.

Beāstī: beāvistī, "you have gladdened (me)," "excellent!" The expression also occurs in Roman comedy (Terence, Andria 106).

Cedo enim experiāmur: supply ut: "give it here so that we can see."  The explanatory force of enim is that Apuleius is explaining why he is so happy the book has been produced.

et mihi: "to me, as well," i.e., as well as the reading from Oedipus at Colonus was to Sophocles in the anecdote told above.

prōdesse: "to be of benefit to," + mihi.

pauca: supply verba.

dē ... dē: notice the variation in the meaning, the first dē meaning "from," the second "about."

quaedam: "certain passages."

aquam sustinē: "hold the water," i.e., stop the clepsydra (water clock) which is marking Apuleius's speaking time.

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This remark was clearly addressed to a second attendant in court. The waterclock (see on 28.1) was stopped when a piece of evidence was read. Regrettably, the quotation itself has not been preserved in our Manuscripts, and one may well wonder whether it was ever included in the written text at all. (Hunink)