the fellowship of the ring-第4部分

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t　home；　but　in　thecourse　of　time　they　had　been　obliged　to　adopt　other　forms　of　abode。　Actuallyin　the　Shire　in　Bilbo's　days　it　was；　as　a　rule；　only　the　richest　and　thepoorest　Hobbits　that　maintained　the　old　custom。　The　poorest　went　on　living　inburrows　of　the　most　primitive　kind；　mere　holes　indeed；　with　only　one　window　ornone；　while　the　well…to…do　still　constructed　more　luxurious　versions　of　thesimple　diggings　of　old。　But　suitable　sites　for　these　large　and　ramifyingtunnels　（or　_smials_　as　they　called　them）　were　not　everywhere　to　be　found；　andin　the　flats　and　the　low…lying　districts　the　Hobbits；　as　they　multiplied；　
began　to　build　above　ground。　Indeed；　even　in　the　hilly　regions　and　the　oldervillages；　such　as　Hobbiton　or　Tuckborough；　or　in　the　chief　township　of　theShire；　Michel　Delving　on　the　White　Downs；　there　were　now　many　houses　of　wood；　
brick；　or　stone。　These　were　specially　favoured　by　millers；　smiths；　ropers；　andcartwrights；　and　others　of　that　sort；　for　even　when　they　had　holes　to　live　in。　　
　
Hobbits　had　long　been　accustomed　to　build　sheds　and　workshops。　
The　habit　of　building　farmhouses　and　barns　was　said　to　have　begun　amongthe　inhabitants　of　the　Marish　down　by　the　Brandywine。　The　Hobbits　of　thatquarter；　the　Eastfarthing；　were　rather　large　and　heavy…legged；　and　they　woredwarf…boots　in　muddy　weather。　But　they　were　well　known　to　be　Stoors　in　a　largepart　of　their　blood；　as　indeed　was　shown　by　the　down　that　many　grew　on　theirchins。　No　Harfoot　or　Fallohide　had　any　trace　of　a　beard。　Indeed；　the　folk　ofthe　Marish；　and　of　Buckland；　east　of　the　River；　which　they　afterwardsoccupied；　came　for　the　most　part　later　into　the　Shire　up　from　south…away；　andthey　still　had　many　peculiar　names　and　strange　words　not　found　elsewhere　inthe　Shire。　　
It　is　probable　that　the　craft　of　building；　as　many　other　crafts　beside；　
was　derived　from　the　Dúnedain。　But　the　Hobbits　may　have　learned　it　direct　fromthe　Elves；　the　teachers　of　Men　in　their　youth。　For　the　Elves　of　the　HighKindred　had　not　yet　forsaken　Middle…earth；　and　they　dwelt　still　at　that　timeat　the　Grey　Havens　away　to　the　west；　and　in　other　places　within　reach　of　theShire。　Three　Elf…towers　of　immemorial　age　were　still　to　be　seen　on　the　TowerHills　beyond　the　western　marches。　They　shone　far　off　in　the　moonlight。　Thetallest　was　furthest　away；　standing　alone　upon　a　green　mound。　The　Hobbits　ofthe　Westfarthing　said　that　one　could　see　the　Sea　from　the　lop　of　that　tower；　
but　no　Hobbit　had　ever　been　known　to　climb　it。　Indeed；　few　Hobbits　had　everseen　or　sailed　upon　the　Sea；　and　fewer　still　had　ever　returned　to　report　it。　
Most　Hobbits　regarded　even　rivers　and　small　boats　with　deep　misgivings；　andnot　many　of　them　could　swim。　And　as　the　days　of　the　Shire　lengthened　theyspoke　less　and　less　with　the　Elves；　and　grew　afraid　of　them；　and　distrustfulof　those　that　had　dealings　with　them；　and　the　Sea　became　a　word　of　fear　amongthem；　and　a　token　of　death；　and　they　turned　their　faces　away　from　the　hills　inthe　west。　　
The　craft　of　building　may　have　e　from　Elves　or　Men；　but　the　Hobbitsused　it　in　their　own　fashion。　They　did　not　go　in　for　towers。　Their　houses　wereusually　long；　low；　and　fortable。　The　oldest　kind　were；　indeed；　no　more　thanbuilt　imitations　of　_smials；_　thatched　with　dry　grass　or　straw；　or　roofed　withturves；　and　having　walls　somewhat　bulged。　That　stage；　however；　belonged　to　theearly　days　of　the　Shire；　and　hobbit…building　had　long　since　been　altered；　
improved　by　devices；　learned　from　Dwarves；　or　discovered　by　themselves。　Apreference　for　round　windows；　and　even　round　doors；　was　the　chief　remainingpeculiarity　of　hobbit…architecture。　
The　houses　and　the　holes　of　Shire…hobbits　were　often　large；　and　inhabitedby　large　families。　（Bilbo　and　Frodo　Baggins　were　as　bachelors　veryexceptional；　as　they　were　also　in　many　other　ways；　such　as　their　friendshipwith　the　Elves。）　Sometimes；　as　in　the　case　of　the　Tooks　of　Great　Smials；　orthe　Brandybucks　of　Brandy　Hall；　many　generations　of　relatives　lived　in（parative）　peace　together　in　one　ancestral　and　many…tunnelled　mansion。　AllHobbits　were；　in　any　case；　clannish　and　reckoned　up　their　relationships　withgreat　care。　They　drew　long　and　elaborate　family…trees　with　innumerablebranches。　In　dealing　with　Hobbits　it　is　important　to　remember　who　is　relatedto　whom；　and　in　what　degree。　It　would　be　impossible　in　this　book　to　set　out　afamily…tree　that　included　even　the　more　important　members　of　the　moreimportant　families　at　the　time　which　these　tales　tell　of。　The　genealogicaltrees　at　the　end　of　the　Red　Book　of　Westmarch　are　a　small　book　in　themselves；　
and　all　but　Hobbits　would　find　them　exceedingly　dull。　Hobbits　delighted　insuch　things；　if　they　were　accurate：　they　liked　to　have　books　filled　withthings　that　they　already　knew；　set　out　fair　and　square　with　no　contradictions。　　
There　is　another　astonishing　thing　about　Hobbits　of　old　that　must　bementioned；　an　astonishing　habit：　they　imbibed　or　inhaled；　through　pipes　of　　
　
clay　or　wood；　the　smoke　of　the　burning　leaves　of　a　herb；　which　they　called_pipe…weed_　or　_leaf；_　a　variety　probably　of　_Nicotiana。_　A　great　deal　ofmystery　surrounds　the　origin　of　this　peculiar　custom；　or　'art'　as　the　Hobbitspreferred　to　call　it。　All　that　could　be　discovered　about　it　in　antiquity　wasput　together　by　Meriadoc　Brandybuck　（later　Master　of　Buckland）；　and　since　heand　the　tobacco　of　the　Southfarthing　play　a　part　in　the　history　that　follows；　
his　remarks　in　the　introduction　to　his　_Herblore　of　the　Shire_　may　be　quoted。　
'This；'　he　says；　'is　the　one　art　that　we　can　certainly　claim　to　be　ourown　invention。　When　Hobbits　first　began　to　smoke　is　not　known；　all　the　legendsand　family　histories　take　it　for　granted；　for　ages　folk　in　the　Shire　smokedvarious　herbs；　some　fouler；　some　sweeter。　But　all　accounts　agree　that　ToboldHornblower　of　Longbottom　in　the　Southfarthing　first　grew　the　true　pipe…weed　inhis　gardens　in　the　days　of　Isengrim　the　Second；　about　the　year　1070　of　Shire…　
reckoning。　The　best　home…grown　still　es　from　that　district；　especially　thevarieties　now　known　as　Longbottom　Leaf；　Old　Toby；　and　Southern　Star。　
'How　Old　Toby　came　by　the　plant　is　not　recorded；　for　to　his　dying　day　hewould　not　tell。　He　knew　much　about　herbs；　but　he　was　no　traveller。　It　is　saidthat　in　his　youth　he　went　often　to　Bree；　though　he　certainly　never　wentfurther　from　the　Shire　than　that。　It　is　thus　quite　possible　that　he　learned　ofthis　plant　in　Bree；　where　now；　at　any　rate；　it　grows　well　on　the　south　slopesof　the　hill。　The　Bree…hobbits　claim　to　have　been　the　first　actual　smokers　of　　
the　pipe…weed。　They　claim；　of　course；　to　have　done　everything　before　thepeople　of　the　Shire；　whom　they　refer　to　as　〃colonists〃；　but　in　this　case　theirclaim　is；　I　think；　likely　to　be　true。　And　certainly　it　was　from　Bree　that　theart　of　smoking　the　genuine　weed　spread　in　the　recent　centuries　among　Dwarvesand　such　other　folk；　Rangers；　Wizards；　or　wanderers；　as　still　passed　to　andfro　through　that　ancient　road…meeting。　The　home　and　centre　of　the　an　is　thusto　be　found　in　the　old　inn　of　Bree；　_The　Prancing　Pony；_　that　has　been　kept　bythe　family　of　Butterbur　from　time　beyond　record。　
'All　the　same；　observations　that　I　have　made　on　my　own　many　journeyssouth　have　convinced　me　that　the　weed　itself　is　not　native　to　our　parts　of　theworld；　but　came　northward　from　the　lower　Anduin；　whither　it　was；　I　suspect；　
originally　brought　over　Sea　by　the　Men　of　Westernesse。　It　grows　abundantly　inGondor；　and　there　is　richer　and　larger　than　in　the　North；　where　it　is　neverfound　wild；　and　flourishes　only　in　warm　sheltered　places　like　Longbottom。　TheMen　of　Gondor　call　it　_sweet　galenas；_　and　esteem　it　only　for　the　fragrance　ofits　flowers。　From　that　land　it　must　have　been　carried　up　the　Greenway　duringthe　long　centuries　between　the　ing　of　Elendil　and　our　own　day。　But　even　theDúnedain　of　Gondor　allow　us　this　credit：　Hobbits　first　put　it　into　pipes。　Noteven　the　Wizards　first　thought　of　that　before　we　did。　Though　one　Wizard　that　Iknew　took　up　the　art　long　ago；　and　became　as　skilful　in　it　as　in　all　otherthings　that　he　put　his　mind　to。'　　
The　Shire　was　divided　into　four　quarters；　the　Farthings　already　referredto。　North；　South；　East；　and　West；　and　these　again　each　into　a　number　offolklands；　which　still　bore　the　names　of　some　of　the　old　leading　families；　
although　by　the　time　of　this　history　these　names　were　no　longer　found　only　intheir　proper　folklands。　Nearly　all　Tooks　still　lived　in　the　Tookland；　but　thatwas　not　true　of　many　other　families；　such　as　the　Bagginses　or　the　Boffins。　
Outside　the　Farthings　were　the　East　and　West　Marches：　the　Buckland　（seebeginning　of　Chapter　V；　Book　I）；　and　the　Westmarch　added　to　the　Shire　in　S。R。　
1462。　　
The　Shire　at　this　time　had　hardly　any　'government'。　Families　for　the　mostpart　managed　their　own　affairs。　Growing　food　and　eating　it　occupied　most　oftheir　time。　In　other　matters　they　were；　as　a　rule；　generous　and　not　greedy；　
but　contented　and　moderate；　so　that　estates；　farms；　workshops；　and　smalltrades　tended　to　remain　unchanged　for　generations。　
There　remained；　of　course；　the　ancient　tradition　concerning　the　high　kingat　Fornost；　or　Norbury　as　they　called　it；　away　north　of　the　Shire。　But　there　　
　
had　been　no　king　for　nearly　a　thousand　years；　and　even　the　ruins　of　Kings'Norbury　were　covered　with　grass。　Yet