o be described.
Mr. Reade says of these instruments with much truth, "Such is the
force of genius, that I believe in our secret hearts we love these
impudent Fiddles best, they are so full of _chic_." Among the Violins
of this period may be mentioned Paganini's, and M. Alard's, both rare
specimens. These splendid _chefs-d'oeuvre_ are strangely mixed with
those commonly known as the "_prison Fiddles_"--a sorry title. The
name arose from the story current in Italy that Guarneri made some
Fiddles whilst undergoing imprisonment, and that the gaoler's daughter
procured him the necessary materials, which were of the coarsest kind.
M. Fetis refers to the story, and mentions that Benedetto Bergonzi,
who died in 1840, used to relate it. Allusion is also made to it by
Vincenzo Lancetti, to whom it was doubtless communicated by Count
Cozio di Salabue. These references lead to the belief that the
tradition has some foundation in fact, though not to the extent that
he ended his days _in durance vile_. Lancetti refers to the offence as
an encounter with some person in which his antagonist lost his
life.[11] A deplorable circumstance of this kind may have occurred
without the accused having been criminally at fault, though he may
have suffered the penalty of being so. His reported love of wine and
pleasure, his idleness and irregularity, in all probability were
statements added by successive narrators of the prison story. A recent
search made by Canon Bazzi in the obituary registers of the cathedral
at Cremona, discovers the fact that one Giacomo Guarneri died in
prison on October 8, 1715. Bearing in mind how frequently we find fact
and fiction jumbled together in historical pursuits, the prison story
in connection with the name of Giuseppe Guarneri may have no other
foundation than a story, long current, that a person named Guarneri
was imprisoned, and wholly regardless of identity.

[Footnote 11: Alexander Gagliano is the subject of a similar story.]

I have referred to the three periods of this remarkable man's life in
relation to his art, and it remains to point out some other features
in his work and material. His selection of wood, when he had the
opportunity of exercising his own judgment, was all that could be
desired, and the belly wood in particular was of the choicest
description. He seems to have obtained a piece of pine, of
considerable size, possessing extraordinary acoustic properties, from
which he made nearly the wh