a town of Hertfordshire in England, seated in E. Long, o. N. Lat. 52. 3. It is a large place, seated in a fertile vale full of inns, and the market is very considerable for corn. There was lately discovered, He married soon after; but his wife dying at the end of four years, he retired from Antwerp for some time, and endeavoured to soothe his melancholy by a journey to Holland. At Utrecht he visited Hurtort, whom he greatly esteemed.
The fame of Rubens was now spread over Europe. He was invited by Mary of Medicis queen of Henry IV. of France to Paris, where he painted the galleries in the palace of Luxembourg. These form a series of paintings which delineate the history of Mary; and afford a convincing proof how well qualified he was to excel in allegorical and emblematical compositions. While at Paris he became acquainted with the duke of Buckingham, who was so taken with his great talents and accomplishments, that he judged him well qualified to explain to Isabella, the wife of Albert the archduke, the cause of the misunderstanding which had taken place between the courts of England and Spain. In this employment Rubens acquitted himself with such propriety, that Isabella appointed him envoy to the king of Spain, with a commission to propose terms of peace, and to bring back the instructions of that monarch. Philip was no less captivated with Rubens: he conferred on him the honour of knighthood, and made him secretary to his privy council. Rubens returned to Brussels, and thence passed over to England in 1630 with a commission from the Catholic king to negotiate a peace between the two crowns. He was successful in his negotiation, and a treaty was concluded. Charles I., who then filled the British throne, could not receive Rubens in a public character on account of his profession; nevertheless, he treated him with every mark of respect. Having engaged him to paint some of the apartments of Whitehall, he not only gave him a handsome sum of money, but, as an acknowledgment of his merit, created him a knight; and the duke of Buckingham, his friend and patron, purchased of him a collection of pictures, statues, medals, and antiques, with the sum of £10,000.
He returned to Spain, where he was magnificently honoured and rewarded for his services. He was created a gentleman of the king's bedchamber, and named secretary to the council of state in the Netherlands. Rubens, however, did not lay aside his profession. He returned to Antwerp, where he married a second wife called Helena Forment, who, being an eminent beauty, helped him much in the figures of his women. He died on 30th of May 1640, in the 63rd year of his age; leaving vast riches to his children. Albert his eldest son succeeded him in the office of secretary of state in Flanders.
As Rubens was possessed of all the ornaments and advantages that render a man worthy to be esteemed or courted, he was always treated as a person of consequence. His figure was noble, his manners engaging, and his conversation lively. His learning was universal. Though his favourite study must have occupied him much, yet he found time to read the works of the most celebrated authors, and especially the poets. He spoke several languages perfectly, and was an excellent statesman.
His house at Antwerp was enriched with everything in the arts that was rare and valuable. It contained one spacious apartment, in imitation of the rotunda at Rome, adorned with a choice collection of pictures which