your ladyship that you have not a handsome ear." "No!"
returned the lady, "pray, Mr. Jervas, what is a handsome ear?" He turned
his cap, and showed her his own. When Kneller heard that Jervas had sent
up a carriage and four horses, he exclaimed, "Ah, mine Got! if his
horses do not draw better than he does, he will never get to his
journey's end!"

HOLBEIN AND THE FLY.

Before Holbein quitted Basile for England, he intimated that he should
leave a specimen of the power of his abilities. Having a portrait in his
house which he had just finished for one of his patrons, he painted a
fly on the forehead, and sent it to the person for whom it was painted.
The gentleman was struck with the beauty of the piece, and went eagerly
to brush off the fly, when he found out the deceit. The story soon
spread, and orders were immediately given to prevent the city being
deprived of Holbein's talents; but he had already departed.

HOLBEIN'S VISIT TO ENGLAND.

Furnished with recommendatory letters from his friend Sir Thomas More,
Holbein went to England, and was received into More's house, where he
wrought for nearly three years, drawing the portraits of Sir Thomas, his
relations and friends. The King, (Henry VIII.) visiting the Chancellor,
saw some of these pictures, and expressed his satisfaction. Sir Thomas
begged him to accept which ever he liked; but his Majesty inquired for
the painter, who was accordingly introduced to him. Henry immediately
took him into his own service and told the Chancellor that now he had
got the artist, he did not want the pictures. An apartment in the palace
was allotted to Holbein, with a salary of 200 florins besides the price
of his pictures.

HENRY VIII.'S OPINION OF HOLBEIN.

The King retained Holbein in his service many years, during which time
he painted the portrait of his Majesty many times, and probably those of
all his queens, though no portrait of Catharine Parr is certainly known
to be from his hand. An amusing and characteristic anecdote is related,
showing the opinion the King entertained of this artist. One day, as
Holbein was privately drawing some lady's picture for Henry, a great
lord forced himself into the chamber, when the artist flew into a
terrible passion, and forgetting everything else in his rage, ran at the
peer and threw him down stairs! Upon a sober second thought, however,
seeing the rashness of this act, Holbein bolted the door, escaped over
the top of the house,