Painters in the Reign of Henry VIII. 107 



and the froward temper of his wife increaf- 

 ing, and his bufinefs declining, he deter- 

 mined upon that journey. 



At firft he faid he fhould quit Bafil but 

 for a time, and only to raife the value of 

 his works, which were growing too nume- 

 rous there j yet before he went, he intimat- 

 ed that he fhould leave a fpecimen of the 

 power of his abilities. He had flill at his 

 houfe a portrait that he had jufl finifhed for 

 one of his patrons — on the forehead he 

 painted a fly, and fent the pidture to the 

 perfon for whom it was defigned. The 

 gentleman flruck with the beauty of the 

 piece, went eagerly to brufh off the fly— . 

 and found the deceit. The fl:ory foon fpread, 

 and as fuch trifling deceptions often do, 

 made more impreflion than greater excel- 

 lencies. Orders were immediately given to 

 prevent the city being deprived of fo won- 

 derfull an artifl: — but Holbein had with- 

 drawn himfelf privately. Erafmus had given 

 him recommendatory letters to Sir Thomas 

 More, with a prefent of his own pi6lurc by 

 Holbein, which he afllired the Chancellor 

 was more like than one drawn by Albert 



Durer. 



