the fellowship of the ring-第3部分

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wledge。　A　love　of　learning　（other　thangenealogical　lore）　was　far　from　general　among　them；　but　there　remained　still　afew　in　the　older　families　who　studied　their　own　books；　and　even　gatheredreports　of　old　times　and　distant　lands　from　Elves；　Dwarves；　and　Men。　Their　ownrecords　began　only　after　the　settlement　of　the　Shire；　and　their　most　ancientlegends　hardly　looked　further　back　than　their　Wandering　Days。　It　is　clear；　
nonetheless；　from　these　legends；　and　from　the　evidence　of　their　peculiar　wordsand　customs；　that　like　many　other　folk　Hobbits　had　in　the　distant　past　movedwestward。　Their　earliest　tales　seem　to　glimpse　a　time　when　they　dwelt　in　theupper　vales　of　Anduin；　between　the　eaves　of　Greenwood　the　Great　and　the　MistyMountains。　Why　they　later　undertook　the　hard　and　perilous　crossing　of　themountains　into　Eriador　is　no　longer　certain。　Their　own　accounts　speak　of　themultiplying　of　Men　in　the　land；　and　of　a　shadow　that　fell　on　the　forest；　sothat　it　became　darkened　and　its　new　name　was　Mirkwood。　　
Before　the　crossing　of　the　mountains　the　Hobbits　had　already　beedivided　into　three　somewhat　different　breeds：　Harfoots；　Stoors；　andFallohides。　The　Harfoots　were　browner　of　skin；　smaller；　and　shorter；　and　theywere　beardless　and　bootless；　their　hands　and　feet　were　neat　and　nimble；　andthey　preferred　highlands　and　hillsides。　The　Stoors　were　broader；　heavier　inbuild；　their　feet　and　hands　were　larger；　and　they　preferred　flat　lands　andriversides。　The　Fallohides　were　fairer　of　skin　and　also　of　hair；　and　they　were　　
　
taller　and　slimmer　than　the　others；　they　were　lovers　of　trees　and　ofwoodlands。　　
The　Harfoots　had　much　to　do　with　Dwarves　in　ancient　times；　and　long　livedin　the　foothills　of　the　mountains。　They　moved　westward　early；　and　roamed　overEriador　as　far　as　Weathertop　while　the　others　were　still　in　the　Wilderland。　
They　were　the　most　normal　and　representative　variety　of　Hobbit；　and　far　themost　numerous。　They　were　the　most　inclined　to　settle　in　one　place；　and　longestpreserved　their　ancestral　habit　of　living　in　tunnels　and　holes。　
The　Stoors　lingered　long　by　the　banks　of　the　Great　River　Anduin；　and　wereless　shy　of　Men。　They　came　west　after　the　Harfoots　and　followed　the　course　ofthe　Loudwater　southwards；　and　there　many　of　them　long　dwelt　between　Tharbadand　the　borders　of　Dunland　before　they　moved　north　again。　
The　Fallohides；　the　least　numerous；　were　a　northerly　branch。　They　weremore　friendly　with　Elves　than　the　other　Hobbits　were；　and　had　more　skill　inlanguage　and　song　than　in　handicrafts；　and　of　old　they　preferred　hunting　totilling。　They　crossed　the　mountains　north　of　Rivendell　and　came　down　the　RiverHoarwell。　In　Eriador　they　soon　mingled　with　the　other　kinds　that　had　precededthem；　but　being　somewhat　bolder　and　more　adventurous；　they　were　often　found　asleaders　or　chieftains　among　clans　of　Harfoots　or　Stoors。　Even　in　Bilbo's　timethe　strong　Fallohidish　strain　could　still　be　noted　among　the　greater　families；　
such　as　the　Tooks　and　the　Masters　of　Buckland。　　
In　the　westlands　of　Eriador；　between　the　Misty　Mountains　and　theMountains　of　Lune；　the　Hobbits　found　both　Men　and　Elves。　Indeed；　a　remnantstill　dwelt　there　of　the　Dúnedain；　the　kings　of　Men　that　came　over　the　Sea　outof　Westernesse；　but　they　were　dwindling　fast　and　the　lands　of　their　NorthKingdom　were　falling　far　and　wide　into　waste。　There　was　room　and　to　spare　foriners；　and　ere　long　the　Hobbits　began　to　settle　in　ordered　munities。　
Most　of　their　earlier　settlements　had　long　disappeared　and　been　forgotten　inBilbo's　time；　but　one　of　the　first　to　bee　important　still　endured；　thoughreduced　in　size；　this　was　at　Bree　and　in　the　Chetwood　that　lay　round　about；　
some　forty　miles　east　of　the　Shire。　
It　was　in　these　early　days；　doubtless；　that　the　Hobbits　learned　theirletters　and　began　to　write　after　the　manner　of　the　Dúnedain；　who　had　in　theirturn　long　before　learned　the　art　from　the　Elves。　And　in　those　days　also　theyforgot　whatever　languages　they　had　used　before；　and　spoke　ever　after　themon　Speech；　the　Westron　as　it　was　named；　that　was　current　through　all　thelands　of　the　kings　from　Arnor　to　Gondor；　and　about　all　the　coasts　of　the　Seafrom　Belfalas　to　Lune。　Yet　they　kept　a　few　words　of　their　own；　as　well　astheir　own　names　of　months　and　days；　and　a　great　store　of　personal　names　out　ofthe　past。　
About　this　time　legend　among　the　Hobbits　first　bees　history　with　areckoning　of　years。　For　it　was　in　the　one　thousand　six　hundred　and　first　yearof　the　Third　Age　that　the　Fallohide　brothers；　Marcho　and　Blanco；　set　out　fromBree；　and　having　obtained　permission　from　the　high　king　at　Fornost；　theycrossed　the　brown　river　Baranduin　with　a　great　following　of　Hobbits。　Theypassed　over　the　Bridge　of　Stonebows；　that　had　been　built　in　the　days　of　thepower　of　the　North　Kingdom；　and　they　took　ail　the　land　beyond　to　dwell　in；　
between　the　river　and　the　Far　Downs。　All　that　was　demanded　of　them　was　that　　
they　should　keep　the　Great　Bridge　in　repair；　and　all　other　bridges　and　roads；　
speed　the　king's　messengers；　and　acknowledge　his　lordship。　
Thus　began　the　_Shire…reckoning；_　for　the　year　of　the　crossing　of　theBrandywine　（as　the　Hobbits　turned　the　name）　became　Year　One　of　the　Shire；　andall　later　dates　were　reckoned　from　it。　At　once　the　western　Hobbits　fell　in　　
love　with　their　new　land；　and　they　remained　there；　and　soon　passed　once　moreout　of　the　history　of　Men　and　of　Elves。　While　there　was　still　a　king　they　werein　name　his　subjects；　but　they　were；　in　fact；　ruled　by　their　own　chieftainsand　meddled　not　at　all　with　events　in　the　world　outside。　To　the　last　battle　at　　
Fornost　with　the　Witch…lord　of　Angmar　they　sent　some　bowmen　to　the　aid　of　theking；　or　so　they　maintained；　though　no　tales　of　Men　record　it。　But　in　that　warthe　North　Kingdom　ended；　and　then　the　Hobbits　took　the　land　for　their　own；　and　　
　
they　chose　from　their　own　chiefs　a　Thain　to　hold　the　authority　of　the　kingthat　was　gone。　There　for　a　thousand　years　they　were　little　troubled　by　wars；　
and　they　prospered　and　multiplied　after　the　Dark　Plague　（S。R。　37）　until　thedisaster　of　the　Long　Winter　and　the　famine　that　followed　it。　Many　thousandsthen　perished；　but　the　Days　of　Dearth　（1158…60）　were　at　the　time　of　this　talelong　past　and　the　Hobbits　had　again　bee　accustomed　to　plenty。　The　land　wasrich　and　kindly；　and　though　it　had　long　been　deserted　when　they　entered　it；　ithad　before　been　well　tilled；　and　there　the　king　had　once　had　many　farms；　
cornlands；　vineyards；　and　woods。　
Forty　leagues　it　stretched　from　the　Far　Downs　to　the　Brandywine　Bridge；　
and　fifty　from　the　northern　moors　to　the　marshes　in　the　south。　The　Hobbitsnamed　it　the　Shire；　as　the　region　of　the　authority　of　their　Thain；　and　adistrict　of　well…ordered　business；　and　there　in　that　pleasant　er　of　theworld　they　plied　their　well…ordered　business　of　living；　and　they　heeded　lessand　less　the　world　outside　where　dark　things　moved；　until　they　came　to　thinkthat　peace　and　plenty　were　the　rule　in　Middle…earth　and　the　right　of　allsensible　folk。　They　forgot　or　ignored　what　little　they　had　ever　known　of　theGuardians；　and　of　the　labours　of　those　that　made　possible　the　long　peace　ofthe　Shire。　They　were；　in　fact；　sheltered；　but　they　had　ceased　to　remember　it。　
At　no　time　had　Hobbits　of　any　kind　been　warlike；　and　they　had　neverfought　among　themselves。　In　olden　days　they　had；　of　course；　been　often　obligedto　fight　to　maintain　themselves　in　a　hard　world；　but　in　Bilbo's　time　that　wasvery　ancient　history。　The　last　battle；　before　this　story　opens；　and　indeed　theonly　one　that　had　ever　been　fought　within　the　borders　of　the　Shire；　was　beyondliving　memory：　the　Battle　of　Greenfields；　S。R。　1147；　in　which　Bandobras　Tookrouted　an　invasion　of　Orcs。　Even　the　weathers　had　grown　milder；　and　the　wolvesthat　had　once　e　ravening　out　of　the　North　in　bitter　white　winters　were　nowonly　a　grandfather's　tale。　So；　though　there　was　still　some　store　of　weapons　inthe　Shire；　these　were　used　mostly　as　trophies；　hanging　above　hearths　or　onwalls；　or　gathered　into　the　museum　at　Michel　Delving。　The　Mathom…house　it　wascalled；　for　anything　that　Hobbits　had　no　immediate　use　for；　but　were　unwillingto　throw　away；　they　called　a　_mathom_。　Their　dwellings　were　apt　to　beerather　crowded　with　mathoms；　and　many　of　the　presents　that　passed　from　hand　tohand　were　of　that　son。　　
Nonetheless；　ease　and　peace　had　left　this　people　still　curiously　tough。　
They　were；　if　it　came　to　it；　difficult　to　daunt　or　to　kill；　and　they　were；　
perhaps；　so　unwearyingly　fond　of　good　things　not　least　because　they　could；　
when　put　to　it；　do　without　them；　and　could　survive　rough　handling　by　grief；　
foe；　or　weather　in　a　way　that　astonished　those　who　did　not　know　them　well　andlooked　no　further　than　their　bellies　and　their　well…fed　faces。　Though　slow　toquarrel；　and　for　sport　killing　nothing　that　lived；　they　were　doughty　at　bay；　
and　at　need　could　still　handle　arms。　They　shot　well　with　the　bow；　for　theywere　keen…eyed　and　sure　at　the　mark。　Not　only　with　bows　and　arrows。　If　anyHobbit　stooped　for　a　stone；　it　was　well　to　get　quickly　under　cover；　as　alltrespassing　beasts　knew　very　well。　
All　Hobbits　had　originally　lived　in　holes　in　the　ground；　or　so　theybelieved；　and　in　such　dwellings　they　still　felt　most　at　home；　but　in　thecourse　of　time　they　had　been　obliged　to　adopt　other　forms　of　abode。　Actuallyin　the