one of the Greek poets who excelled in tragedy, was born about 486 B.C. in the isle of Salamis, whither his father and mother had retired a little before Xerxes entered Attica. He learnt rhetoric under Prodicus, morality under Socrates, and natural philosophy under Anaxagoras; but at 18 years of age abandoned philosophy, in order to apply himself to dramatic poetry. He used to shut himself up in a cave to compose his tragedies, which were extremely applauded by the Greeks. The Athenian army, commanded by Nicias, being defeated in Sicily, the soldiers purchased their lives and liberties by reciting the verses of Euripides; such esteem and veneration had the Sicilians for the pieces wrote by this excellent poet. Socrates, the wisest of the philosophers, set such a value upon them, that they were the only tragedies he went to see acted; and yet his performances seldom gained the prize. Euripides frequently interferes through them moral sentences, and severe reflections on the fair-sex; whence he was called the Woman-hater. He was, nevertheless, married: but the scandalous lives of his two wives drew upon him the railing of Aristophanes, and other comic poets; which occasioned his retiring to the court of Archelaus, king of Macedon, where he was well received. That prince was fond of learned men, and drew them to him by his liberality. If we may believe Solinus, he made Euripides his minister of state, and gave him other extraordinary proofs of his esteem. He had, however, passed passed but a few years there, when an unhappy accident put an end to his life. He was walking in a wood, and, according to his usual manner, in deep meditation; when, unfortunately happening upon Archelaus's hounds, he was by them torn in pieces. It is not certain whether his death happened by chance, or through envy of some of the great courtiers. However, Archelaus buried him with great magnificence; and the Athenians were so much afflicted at his death, that the whole city went into mourning. Of 92 tragedies which he composed, only 19 are remaining: the most valuable editions of which are those of Aldus, in 1503, 8vo; of Plantin, in 1570, folio; of Comelin, in 1597, 8vo; of Paul Stevens, in 1604, 4to; and of Joshua Barnes, in 1664, folio.