vexations he there received. The artists disliked him
for his ostentation, and he was called _Il pittore cavalieresco_--and he
offended them by declining to associate with them at taverns or to join
their coarse festivities. After leaving Rome he visited Palermo, from
which place he was driven away by the appearance of the plague. He
returned to Genoa, visited Florence and other cities in the north of
Italy, and finally returned to Antwerp after an absence of four years.

During the first years after his return he met with small success--Rubens
was so great that he filled all the space about him--but at last, in 1628,
Vandyck began to receive important commissions, and from this time was
constantly busy with works for the churches of the Low Countries. He also
painted portraits of many notable persons, and made great numbers of them
in brown and white for the use of engravers. While Vandyck was thus
executing great numbers of fine pictures for the embellishment of
Flanders, he became so unpopular and his rivals said such hard things of
him that he determined to go away. One of his unfortunate experiences was
in the house of the bishop, who had sent for him to paint his portrait.
Vandyck had first sent his implements to the care of the porter of the
palace. When he went himself he was taken into the presence of the bishop,
who was reclining on a sofa, and gave little attention to the artist. At
last the bishop asked if he had not come to paint his portrait. Vandyck
declared himself to be quite at the service of his lordship. "Why, then,"
said the bishop, "do you not go for your implements? Do you expect me to
fetch them for you?" Vandyck calmly replied, "Since you have not ordered
your servants to bring them I supposed that you wished to do it yourself."
Then the bishop leaped up in anger and cried out, "Anthony, Anthony, you
are a little asp, but you have a great deal of venom!" Vandyck thought it
safe to make his escape, and after he crossed the threshold he called
back, "My lord Van der Burch, you are a voluminous personage, but you are
like the cinnamon tree. The bark is the best part of you."

In 1629 Vandyck went to England with the hope of being employed by King
Charles I.; but he was not able even to get an introduction to the
sovereign, and went to the continent filled with mortification. At length,
however, Charles called him to London, whither he went in 1632, and soon
became the friend of the king as well as