Euripides introduced some improvements into the composition of tragedy. Among other changes, lie sup pressed the prologue, in which it had been usual to give an outline of the story, and threw the exposition of the subject into the piece itself ; a mode of proceeding, which, although it presented some difficulties to the au thor, was of considerable advantage to the dramatic art.
The manners of Euripides were harsh, and his cha racter austere ; but his dramatic productions, in general, do not indicate such dispositions ; for there is no poet who has written with greater feeling and tenderness, or who has described the passion of love in more expres sive and delicate terms. He is said, however, to have had two wives, whose character and conduct were far from contributing to soften the asperity of his temper ; and he acquired the name of the woman hater, probably in consequence of the many invectives which, in his writings, he pointed against the fair sex.
The earliest edition of Euripides is that of Aldus Ma nutius, Venice, 1503, 8vo. It contains only the Greek text of eighteen tragedies. This edition was renewed by Hervagius, Basil, 1537, Etc. Robert Winter pub lished another edition at Basil, in 1541, with a I,atin version. John Oporin printed an edition of Euripides, in Greek and Latin, 1562, fol. Plantinus gave an edition at Antwerp, 1571, 16mo, with the division and arrange ment of the verses by William Canter. Besides these, we have the edition of Jerome Commelin, Heidelberg, 1597, 8vo ; of Paul Stevens, 1604, 4to; and of Joshua Barnes, Cambridge, 1694, fol. with a life prefixed, and learned notes. Some tragedies have been printed sepa rately, and commented upon, by different editors. The excellent English translation of Euripides by Potter, is well known. (z) EuttorE is the name given to one of the four great di visions into which geographers have divided the earth. Though much the smallest, it is by far the most impor tant and powerful, and indeed governs almost all the others. In the warmth of its climate, the fertility of its soil, and the richness and luxuriance of its productions, Europe is perhaps the least favoured quarter of the world. But in the political strength and greatness of the nations which inhabit it, in civilization and refine ment, in attainments in science, and in all the useful and ornamental arts, the superiority is vast and striking. Here is the theatre on which the human character has appeared to the greatest advantage, and where society has attained its most perlect form, both in ancient and modern times ; and this smallest portion of the globe, seems destined to extend knowledge and improvement over the rest of the world.
The origin of the name Europe is not certainly known; but it scents to have been extended from that of a small district on the European side of the Hellespont, as the name of Asia spread from the name of the country on the opposite shore. The extent of this part of the globe, which yields considerably even to Africa, is from the most western point of Portugal near Lisbon, to the Ura lian mountains on the east, in length about 3300 British miles, and in breadth, front the Norio Cape ia Lapland to the southern extremity of Greece, about 2350. The contents in square miles, though they cannot be calcu lated with any degree of accuracy, may be stated at the medial number of two millions and a half. The ancients were but very imperfectly acquainted with the boundaries of Europe. A great proportion of this division, especi ally in the north and cast, has never been known with any degree of precision until modern times. It is bound ed on the north by the Arctic Ocean, or Frozen Sea ; on the west by the Atlantic Ocean ; and on the south by the Mediterranean Sea. Its eastern limits are not so well defined. As the natural boundaries on this side extend only a certain length, it is separated from Asia in many places merely by arbitrary limits. The line which divides these two quarters of the globe, is gene rally understood, however, to proceed along the Uralian mountains, down the small river Karporka, the great river Don, and through the Sea of Azof, the Black Sea, the Hellespont, the Sea of Marmora, and the Dardanel les into the Mediterranean.
There are in Europe no great natural divisions, unless we consider it as divided by the Baltic into the countries north and south of that sea. On the north of the Baltic, are the northern or Scandinavian kingdoms, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The extensive empire of Russia, occupies the remainder of the north and all the cast of Europe. In the south, is the European part of the Turkish empire, and the Italian states. In the west, proceeding from south to north, are the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal, France, Holland, and part of Ger many. And in the centre of Europe are situated most of the Germany states, Prussia, Poland, Switzerland, Bo hemia, Hungary, &c. During the violent and extraor dinary convulsions which for the last twenty years have agitated and desolated this division of the globe, it has often been difficult to say what were the limits, or who were the masters of many of its states and kingdoms ; but now that the storm bus subsided, the are again re turning to nearly their former boundaries, their former governments, and their former institutions.