medium of gut strings. The first makers of violins in Brescia used
no side linings, but trusted to the most excellent quality of their
glue for holding back and front to the ribs. That their trust was not
misplaced in many instances is proved by the work in its primitive
condition remaining intact to the present day. With the rise of the
Cremonese school, delicacy in treatment of detail became fashionable;
makers found that in order to give expression to their ideas in as many
particulars as possible over the work, especially in respect of
refinement in the curving of the ribs, less thickness of wood in these
parts would have to be used, especially when of very decided curl; but
this would not hold well except in the driest districts. The system
was then introduced of using the thin slips of wood running from block
to block; the thickness of these, although slight, added to the thin
substance of the rib, allowed a better holding power to back and front.

The fact is here evident that the glue, of exceeding good quality--and
that it was so will be corroborated by all repairers who have had to
do with the old Italian instruments--was too easily affected by the
damp of the atmosphere.

Further evidence frequently turns up among the great numbers of old
Italian instruments gathered from all sorts of places, of the efforts
at combating the effects of damp. Some of the means adopted by various
repairers, apparently in the smaller towns--judging by the bad, even
extraordinary woods used--have been very curious, many interesting,
others primitive, even stupid. At about the same time the Amatis were
introducing the use of side-linings, Giov. Maggini was trying other
means of preventing the parting of the upper and lower tables from the
ribs by damp. A method he adopted, and which many later makers
imitated--if it did not occur to them spontaneously--was by cutting
a groove all round and inserting the ribs. It will be obvious from this
that no linings were used in these instances. That his efforts were
not followed by success may be concluded from the fact that he did not
persevere with the system. The simple method of his master was fallen
back upon and thicker ribs placed in position. When we come across one
of those grooved tables it will probably be found--as might have been
anticipated by Maggini had he known beforehand of the course to be taken
by his art, which was at the time almost a local one--that a repairer
has at o