I first met The Hobbit
when my fifth grade teacher read it to our class. I have been a Tolkien fan ever since and have read the book many times.
There have been several attempts to make
Tolkien’s master works into movies – all have failed. I recently went to the
last instalment of Peter Jackson’s movie version. The only thing I got out of it was an
overpowering need to re-read the book for myself, inorder to get the wonder of the story back.
I have placed 144 quotes below. They should help those who have read the book to
recapture the wonder. I also hope they will save those who have only seen the movies from the corrupted vision they present.
The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien
1. About Hobbits:
“They are inclined to be fat in the stomach; they dress in bright colors
(chiefly green and yellow); wear no shoes, because their feet grow natural
leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads (which is curly); have
long clever brown fingers, good-natured faces, and laugh deep fruity laughs
(especially after dinner, which they have twice a day when they can get it).”
p. 4
2. About Tooks: “It was often said (in other families) that
long ago one of the Took ancestors must have taken a fairy wife. That was, of course, absurd, but certainly
there was still something not entirely hobbitlike about them and once in a
while members of the Took-clan would go and have adventures . . . the Tooks
were not as respectable as the Bagginses, though they were undoubtedly
richer.” p. 4
3. The Took Side: “Bilbo
. . . got something a bit queer in his make-up from the Took side, something
that only waited for a chance to come out.” p. 5
4. Gandalf Described:
“All that the unsuspecting Bilbo saw that morning was an old man with a
staff. He had a tall pointed blue hat, a
long gray cloak, a silver scarf over which his long white beard hung down below
his waist, and immense black boots.” p. 5
5. Bilbo on Gandalf
and His Fireworks: “Gandalf, Gandalf!
Good gracious me! Not the
wandering wizard that gave Old Took a pair of magic diamond studs that fastened
themselves and never came undone till ordered?
Not the fellow who used to tell such wonderful tales at parties, about
dragons and goblins and giants and the rescue of princesses and the unexpected
luck of widows' sons? Not the man that
used to make such particularly excellent fireworks! I remember those! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer’s
Eve. Splendid! They used to go up like great lilies and
snapdragons and laburnums [One of a genus of Eurasian poisonous shrubs and
trees of the pea family, having bright-yellow flowers.] of fire and hang in the twilight all evening!
. . . Not the Gandalf who was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses
going off into the Blue for mad adventures?
Anything from climbing trees to visiting elves—or sailing in ships,
sailing to other shores!” p. 7
6. Bilbo Needed an Engagement
Book: “He did not remember things very well, unless he put them down on his
Engagement Tablet . . .” p. 9
7. Balin Described:
“. . . there was a very old-looking dwarf on the step with a white beard and a
scarlet hood . . .” p. 9
8. Fili and Kili Described:
“it was two more dwarves, both with blue hoods, silver belts, and yellow beards
. . .” p. 9
9. The Smoking Game:
“. . . Thorin with his feet on the fender smoking a pipe. He was blowing the most enormous smoke-rings,
and wherever he told one to go, it went—up the chimney, or behind the clock on
the mantelpiece, or under the table, or round and round the ceiling; but
wherever it went it was not quick enough to escape Gandalf. Pop! He sent a smaller smoke-ring from his
short clay-pipe straight through each one of Thorin’s. Then Gandalf’s smoke-ring would go green and
come back to hover over the wizard’s head.
He had a cloud of them about him already, and in the dim light it made
him look strange and sorcerous. Bilbo
stood still and watched—he loved smoke rings—and then he blushed to think how
proud he had been yesterday morning of the smoke-rings he had sent up the wind
over The Hill.” pp. 13-14
10. On the Power of
Music: “As they sang the hobbit felt
the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving
through him, a fierce and a jealous love, the desire of the hearts of
dwarves. The something Tookish woke up
inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the
pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead
of a walking-stick. He looked out the
window. The stars were out in the dark
sky above the trees. He thought of the
jewels of the dwarves shinning in dark caverns.
Suddenly in the wood beyond The Water a flame leapt up—probably somebody
lighting a wood-fire—and he thought of plundering dragons setting on his quiet
Hill and kindling it all to flames.” p. 16
17. The Power of the
Took Side: “Then Mr. Baggins turned
the handle and went in. The Took side
had won.” p. 18
18. Fate of Thorin’s
Grandfather and Father and on the Necromancer: “I did not ‘get hold of it
[Map of the Mountain],’ I was given it,” said the wizard. Your grandfather Thror was killed, you
remember, in the mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin. . . Your father went away
to try his luck with the map after your grandfather was killed’ and lot of
adventures of a most unpleasant sort he had, but he never got near the
Mountain. How he got there I don’t know,
but I found him a prisoner in the dungeons of the Necromancer. “- - “Whatever
were you doing there?” asked Thorin with a shudder, and all the dwarves
shivered. - - “Never you mind. I was
finding things out, as usual; and a nasty dangerous business it was. Even I Gandalf, only just escaped. I tried to save your father, but it was too
late. He was witless and wandering, and
had forgotten almost everything except the map and the key.” p. 25
19. More on the
Necromancer: “He is an enemy far beyond the power of all dwarves put
together, if they could all be collected again form the four corners of the
world.” p. 25
20. On Trolls:
“Three very large persons sitting round a very large fire of beech-logs. . .
But they were trolls. Obviously
trolls. Even Bilbo, in spite of his sheltered
life, could see that: from the great heavy faces of them and their size, and
the shape of their legs, not to mention their language, which was not
drawing-room fashion at all, at all.” p. 33
21. Trolls Turned to
Stone: “Dawn take you all, and be stone to you” said a voice that sounded
like William’s. But it wasn’t. For just at that moment the light came over
the hill, and there was a mighty twitter in the branches. William never spoke for he stood turned to stone
as he stooped; and Bert and Tom were stuck like rocks as they looked at
him. And there they stand to this day,
all alone, unless the birds perch on them, for trolls, as you probably know,
must be underground before dawn, or they go back to the stuff of the mountains
they are made of, and never move again.” pp.39-40
22. The Swords from
the Trolls: “—and among them were several swords of various makes, shapes,
and sizes. Two caught their eyes
particularly, because of the beautiful scabbards and jeweled hilts. - - Gandalf
and Thorin each took one of these; and Bilbo took a knife in the leather
sheath. It would have made only a tiny
pocket-knife for a troll, but it was as good as a sword for the hobbit.” p. 41
23. Good Times in the
Last [First] Homely House East of the Sea: “And so at last they came to the
Last Homely House, and found its doors flung wide. - - Now it is a strange
thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are
soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable,
palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of
telling anyway. They stayed long in that
good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave. Bilbo would gladly have stopped there for
ever and ever—even supposing a wish would have taken him right back to his hobbit-hole
without trouble. Yet there is little to
tell about their stay.” p. 48
24. Master Elrond:
“The master of the house was an elf-friend—one of those people whose fathers
came into the strange stories before the beginning of History, the wars of the
evil goblins and the elves and the first men in the North. In those days of our tale there were still
some people who had both elves and heroes of the North for ancestors, and
Elrond the master of the house was their chief.
- - He was as noble as and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as
a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind
as summer. He comes into many tales . .
.” pp. 48-49
25. The Last Homely
House: “His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work,
or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant
mixture of them all. Evil things did not
come into that valley.” p. 49
26. Magic Swords:
“They are old swords, very old swords of the High Elves of the West, my
kin. They were made in Gondolin for the
Goblin-wars. They must have come from a
dragon’s hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city
many ages ago. This, Thorin, the runes
name Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver in the ancient tongue of Gondolin; it was a
famous blade. This, Gandalf, was
Glamdring, Foe-hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore. Keep them well!” p. 49
27. Maps,
Moon-letters, and Bilbo’s Handwriting: “The moon was shining in a broad
silver crescent. He [Elrond] held up the
map and the white light shone through it.
“What is this?” he said. “There
are moon-letters here, beside the plain runes which say ‘five feet high the
door and three may walk abreast.’” - - What are moon-letters?” asked the hobbit
full of excitement. He loved maps, as I
have told you before; and he also liked runes and letters and cunning
handwriting, though when he wrote himself it was a bit thin and spidery.” p. 50
28. Stone Giants:
“When he [Bilbo] peeped out in the lightning-flashes, he saw that across the
valley the stone-giants were out, and were hurling rocks at one another for a
game, and catching them, and tossing them down into the darkness where they
smashed among the trees far below, or splintered into little bits with a bang.”
p. 55
29. Fili and Kili –
Young Dwarves: “. . . they sent Fili and Kili to look for a better
shelter. They had very sharp eyes, and
being the youngest of the dwarves by some fifty years they usually got these
sort of jobs.” p. 55
30. The Danger of
Caves: “That, of course is the dangerous part about caves: you don’t know
how far they go back, sometimes, or where a passage behind my lead to, or what
is waiting for you inside.” pp. 55-56
31. Bilbo Saves
Gandalf: “There were six [goblins]
to each dwarf, at least, and two even for Bilbo; and they were all grabbed and
carried through the crack, before you could say tinder and flint. But not
Gandalf. Bilbo’s yell had done that much
good. It had wakened him up wide in a
splintered second, and when goblins came to grab him. There was a terrific
flash like lightning in the cave, a smell like gunpowder, and several of them
fell dead.” p. 57
32. On Goblins:
“Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted. They make no beautiful things, but they make
many clever ones. They can tunnel and
mine as well as any but the most skilled dwarves, when they take the trouble,
though they are usually untidy and dirty.
Hammers, axes, swords, daggers pickaxes, tongs, and also instruments of
torture, they make very well, or get other people to make to their design,
prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and
light. It is not unlikely that they
invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially
the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosion always
delight them, and also not working with their own hand more than they could
help; . . . “ p. 59
33. Dwarf/Goblin
Relations: “They did not hate dwarves especially, no more than they hated
everybody and everything, and particularly the orderly and prosperous; in some
parts wicked dwarves and even made alliance with them.” p. 59
34. Rescued by
Gandalf: “Suddenly a sword flashed in its own light. Bilbo say it go right through the Great
Goblin as he stood dumbfounded in the middle of his rage. He fell dead, and the goblin soldiers fled
before the sword shrieking into the darkness.” p. 61
35. The Light of the Magic
Swords: “He [Gandalf] took out his sword again, and again it flashed in the
dark by itself. It burned with a rage
that made it gleam if goblins were about; now it was bright as blue flame for
delight in the killing of the great lord of the cave. It made no trouble whatever of cutting
through the goblin-chains and setting all the prisoners free as quickly as
possible. This sword’s name was
Glamdring the Foe-hammer, if you remember.
The goblins just called it Beater, and hated it worse than Biter if
possible. Orcrist, too, had been saved;
for Gandalf had brought it along as well, snatching it from one of the
terrified guards.” p. 62
36. The Finding of
the Ring: “He [Bilbo] guessed as well as he
could, and crawled along for a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt
like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he
did not know it.” p. 65
37. Bilbo’s Sword and
Elf Blade Too: “Now he drew it out.
It shone pale and dim before his eyes.
“So it is an elvish blade, too,” he thought; “and goblins are not very
near, and yet not far enough.” p. 66
38. Evolution of Cave
Fish: “There are strange things living in the pools and lakes in the hearts
of mountains: fish whose father swam in, goodness only know how many years ago,
and never swam out again, while their eyes grew bigger and bigger and bigger
from trying to see in the blackness; also there are other things more slimy
than fish.” p. 67
39. On Gollum’s
History: “I don’t know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum—as dark as darkness, except for
two big round pale eyes in his thin face.” p. 68
40. On the Riddle
Game: “Riddles were all he could
think of. Asking them, and sometimes
guessing them, had been the only game he had ever played with other funny
creatures sitting in their holes in the long, long ago, before he lost all his
friends and was driven away, alone, and crept down, down, into the dark under
the mountains.” p. 69
41. More on the
Riddle Game: “He [Bilbo] knew, of
course, that the riddle-game was sacred and of immense antiquity, and even
wicked creatures were afraid to cheat when they played at it. But he felt he could not trust this slimy
thing to keep any promise at a pinch.
Any excuse would do for him to slide out of it. And after all that last question had not been
a genuine riddle according to the ancient laws.” p. 75
42. The Ring Still
Allows for the Casting of a Shadow: “He [Gollum] wanted it because it was a
ring of power, and if you slipped that ring on your finger, you were invisible;
only in the full sunlight could you be seen, and then only by your shadow, and
that would be shaky and faint.” p. 76
43 Pity and Fair
Play: “No, not a fair fight. He was
invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill
him, or tried to yet. And he was
miserable, alone, lost. A sudden
understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse
of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold
fish, sneaking and whispering. All these
thoughts passed in a flash of a second.” p. 81
44. Goblins Do Not
Like the Sun: “But they [gobblins] don’t like
the sun: it makes their legs wobble and their heads giddy.” p. 84
45. Bilbo’s Call to
Duty: “. . . a very uncomfortable
thought was growing inside him. He
wondered whether he ought not now he had the magic ring, to go back into the
horrible, horrible tunnels and look for his friends. He had just made up his mind that it was his
duty, that he must turn back—and very miserable he felt about it—when he heard
voices.” p. 85
46. Dwarves Lacking
in Duty: “The dwarves wanted to know
why he had even been brought at all, why he could not stick to his friends and
come along with them, and why the wizard had not chosen someone with more
sense. “He has been more trouble than use
so far,” said one. “If we have got to go
back now into those abominable tunnels to look for him, then drat him, I
say.” p. 86
47. More about Bilbo
than You Guess: “What did I tell
you?” said Gandalf laughing. “Mr. Baggins
has more about him than you guess.” He
gave Bilbo a queer look from under his bushy eyebrows, as he said this, and the
hobbit wondered if he guessed at the part of his tale that he had left out.” p. 88
48. On Bilbo’s Scouting
Skills: “He nibbled a bit of sorrel,
and he drank from a small mountain stream that crossed the path, and he ate
three wild strawberries that he found on its bank, but it was not much
good.” p. 90
49. A Saying from
Bilbo: “What shall we do, what shall
we do!” he cried. “Escaping goblins to
be caught by wolves!” he said, and it became a proverb, though we now say “out
of the frying-pan into the fire” in the same sort of uncomfortable
situations.” p. 92
50. Dori Saves Bilbo
- Dwarves Do Duty after All: “Still Dori
did not let Bilbo down. He waited till
he had clambered off his shoulders into the branches, and then he jumped for
the branches himself. Only just in time! A wolf snapped at his cloak as he swung up,
and nearly got him.” p. 93
51. Good Men on the
Frontiers: “There were many of them,
and they were brave and well-armed, and even the Wargs dared not attack them if
there were many together, or in the bright day.” p. 95
52. Flaming
pine-cones: “He [Gandalf] gathered
the huge pine-cones from the branches of the tree. Then he set one alight with bright blue fire,
and threw it whizzing down among the circle of the wolves. It struck one on the back, and immediately
his shaggy coat caught fire, and he was leaping to and fro yelping
horribly. Then another came and another,
one in blue flames, one in red, another in green. . . A specially large one hit
the chief wolf on the nose, and he leaped in the air ten feet, and then rushed
round and round the circle biting and snapping even at the other wolves in his
anger, and fright. . . if a spark got in their coats it stuck and burned into
them, and unless they rolled over quick they were soon all in flames. “ pp.
95-96
53. Some Thoughts on
Eagles: “Eagles are not kindly
birds. Some are cowardly and cruel. But the ancient race of the northern
mountains were the greatest of all birds; they were proud and strong and
noble-hearted. They did not love
goblins, or fear them.” p. 97
54. Goblins Do Not
Fear Fire: “Goblins are not afraid
of fire, and they soon had a plan which seemed to them most amusing.” p. 97
55. Gandalf Could
Have Died: “Then Gandalf climbed to
the top of his tree. The sudden splendor
flashed from his wand like lightning, as he got ready to spring down from on
high right among the spears of the goblins.
That would have been the end of him, though he would probably have
killed many of them as he came hurtling down like a thunderbolt. “ p. 99
56. Gandalf, Friend
to Eagles: “The wizard and the
eagle-lord appeared to know one another slightly, and even to be on friendly
terms. As a matter of fact Gandalf, who
had often been in the mountains, had once rendered a service to the eagles and
healed their lord from an arrow-wound.” p. 103
57. Dwarves Do Not
Use Matches: “Gandalf, too, was lying down after doing his part in getting
the fire going, since Oin and Gloin had lost their tinder-boxes. (Dwarves have never taken to matches even
yet.)” p. 103
58. Bathing in the
River: “Then they took off their
clothes and bathed in the river, which was shallow and clear and stony at the
ford.” p. 107
59. On Beorn: “He changes his skin: sometimes he is a huge
black bear, sometimes he is a great strong black-haired man with huge arms and
great bread. . . He keeps hives and hives of great fierce bees, and lives most
on cream and honey.” p. 108
60. Radagast: “I am a wizard,” continued Gandalf. “I have heard of you, if you have not heard
of me; but perhaps you have heard of my good cousin Radagast who lives near the
Southern borders of Mirkwood?” - - - “Yes; not a bad fellow as wizards go, I
believe. I used to see him now and
again,” said Beorn.” p. 111
61. Beorn’s Animal
Servants: “Beorn clapped his hands,
and in trotted four beautiful white ponies and several large long-bodied grey
dogs. Beorn said something to them in a
queer language like animal noises turned into talk. . . The dogs could stand on
their hind-legs when they wished, and carry thing with their fore-feet.” p. 117
62. Beorn Kills His Prisoners: “What did you do with the goblin and the
Warg?” asked Bilbo suddenly. - - - “Come
and see!” said Beorn, and they followed round the house. A goblin’s head was stuck outside the gate
and a warg-skin was nailed to a tree just beyond.” p. 123
63. Packs Lighter All
Too Soon: “Bilbo thought his lot was
wearisomely heavy . . . Don’t you worry!” said Thorin. “It will get lighter all too soon.” p. 128
64. There Are No Safe Paths:
“There are no safe paths in the part of the world.” p. 129
65. Singing in the
Forest: “Sometimes there was singing
in the distance too. The laughter was
the laughter of fair voices not of goblins, and the singing was beautiful . . .
“ p. 136
66. Bilbo Kills
Spiders: “Bilbo came at it [a
spider] before it could disappear and stuck it with his sword right in the
eyes. Then it went mad and leaped and
danced and flung out its legs in horrible jerks, until he killed it with
another stroke; and then he fell down and remembered nothing more for a long
while. - - - There was the usual dim grey light of the forest-day about him
when he came to his senses. The spider
lay dead beside him, and his sword-blade was stained black. Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all
alone by himself in the dark without help of the wizard or the dwarves or of
anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins.” p. 144
67. Bilbo Names His
Sting: “He felt a different person,
and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword
on the grass and put it back into its sheath. - - - “I will give you a name,”
he said to it, “and I shall call you Sting”. p. 144
68. Bilbo Throws Some
Rocks: “Bilbo saw that the moment
had come when he must do something. He
could not get up at the brutes and he had nothing to shoot with; but looking
about he saw that in this place there were many stones lying in what appeared
to be a now dry little watercourse.
Bilbo was a pretty fair shot with a stone, and it did not take him long
to find a nice smooth egg-shaped one that fitted his hand cozily. As a boy he used to practice throwing stones
at things, until rabbits and squirrels, and even birds, got out of his way as
quick as lighting if they saw him stoop; and even grown-up he had still spent a
deal of his time at quoits, dart-throwing, shooting at the wand, bowls, ninepins
and other quiet games of the aiming and throwing sort—indeed he could do lots
of things, besides blowing smoke-rings, asking riddles and cooking, that I
haven’t had time to tell you about.
There is no time now. While he
was picking up stones, the spider had reached Bombur, and soon he would have
been dead. At the moment Bilbo
threw. The stone struck the spider plunk
on the head, and it dropped senseless off the tree, flop to the ground, with
all its legs curled up. - - - The next stone went whizzing through a big web,
snapping its cords, and taking off the spider sitting in the middle of it,
whack, dead.” p. 146
69. In Spite of the Ring,
the Spiders Can See the Sword: “The
spiders saw the sword, though I don’t suppose they knew what it was, and at
once the whole lot of them came hurrying after the hobbit along the ground and
the branches . . .” p. 149
70. Bilbo Kills Again
(a Spider): “Mr. Baggins was in a
hurry, and before the spider knew what was happening it felt his sting and
rolled off the branch dead.”
71. FIli’s Armpits
and Beard: “. . . Fili emerged. I am afraid Bilbo actually laughed at the
sight of him jerking his stiff arms and legs as he danced on the spider-string
under his armpits, just like one of those funny toys bobbing on a wire . . . It
took him ages to get the beastly stuff out of his eyes and eyebrow, and as for
his beard, he had to cut most of it off.”
p. 149
72. Bilbo Reveals the
Ring to the dwarves: “”I am going to
disappear,” he said. . . There they lay
for some time, puffing and panting. But
very soon they began to ask questions.
They had to have the whole vanishing business carefully explained, and
the finding of the ring interested them so much that for a while they forgot
their own troubles. Balin in particular
insisted on having the Gollum story, riddles and all, told all over again, with
the ring in its proper place.” p. 152
73. Bilbo Becomes the
Leader: “. . . it was from little
Bilbo that they seemed to expect to get the answers. From which you can see that they had changed
their opinion of Mr. Baggins very much, and had begun to have a great respect
for him (as Gandalf had said they would).
Indeed they really expected him to think of some wonderful plan for
helping them, and were not merely grumbling.
They knew only too well that they would soon all have been dead, if it
had not been for the hobbit; and they thanked him many times.” p. 152
74. On Wood-elves and
Other Elves As Well: “The feasting
people were Wood-elves, of course. These
are not wicked folk. If they have a
fault it is distrust of strangers.
Though their magic was strong, even in those days they were wary. They differed from the High Elves of the West,
and were more dangerous and less wise.
For most of them (together with their scattered relations in the hills
and mountains) were descended from the ancient tribes that had never went to
Faerie in the West. There the
Light-elves and the Deep-elves and the Sea-elves went and lived for ages, and
grew fairer and wiser and more learned, and invented their magic and their
cunning craft in the making of beautiful and marvelous things, before some came
back into the Wide World. In the Wide
World, the Wood-elves lingered in the twilight of our Sun and Moon, but loved
best the stars; and they wandered in the great forests that grew tall in lands
that are now lost. They dwelt most often
by the edges of the woods, from which they could escape at times to hunt, or to
ride and run over the open lands by moonlight or starlight; and after the
coming of Men they took ever more and more to the gloaming and the dusk. Still elves they were and remain, and that is
Good People.” p. 154
75. Conflict between
Elves and Dwarves: “In ancient days
they had had wars with some of the dwarves, whom they accused of stealing their
treasure. It is only fair to say that
the dwarves gave a different account, and said they only took what was their
due, for the elf-king had bargained with them to shape his raw gold and silver,
and had afterwards refused to give them their pay. . . All this was well known to every dwarf,
though Thorin’s family had had nothing to do with the old quarrel I have spoken
of.” p. 155
76. Elf Treatment of
Prisoners: “They gave him [Thorin]
food and drink, plenty of both, if not very fine; for Wood-elves were not
goblins, and were reasonably well-behaved even to their worst enemies, when
they capture them. The giant spiders
were the only living things that they had no mercy upon.” [Like Bilbo and
me.] p. 156
77. Meet the
Elvenking [Legolas’ Father]: “In a great hall with pillars hewn out of the
living stone sat the Elvenking on a chair of carven wood. On his head was a crown of berries and red
leaves, for the autumn was come again.
In the spring he wore a crown of woodland flowers. In his hand he held a carven staff of
oak.” p. 158
78. The Crimes the
Dwarves Committed Against the Elvenking:
“It is a crime to wander in my realm without leave. Do you forget that you were in my kingdom,
using the road that my people made? Did
you not three times pursue and trouble my people in the forest and rouse the
spiders with your riot and clamor? After
all the disturbance you have made I have a right to know what bring you here,
and if you will not tell me now, I will keep you all in prison until you have
learned sense and manners!” p. 159
79. Bilbo’s
Troublesome Shadow: More than once
he was nearly caught in the doors, as they clashed together when the last elf
passed; yet he did not dare to march among them because of his shadow
(altogether thin and wobbly as it was in torchlight), or for fear of being
bumped into and discovered.” p. 159
80. Gandalf Left So
Bilbo Could Grow: “. . . they all
trusted Bilbo. Just what Gandalf had
said would happen, you see. Perhaps that
was part of his reason for going off and leaving them.” p. 162
81. The Success of
Lake Town: “It seemed a town of Men
still throve there, built out on bridges far into the water as a protection
against enemies of all sorts, and especially against the dragon of the
Mountain.” p. 163
82. The Value of the
Wood-elves’ Realm: “The elf-road
through the wood which the dwarves had followed on the advice of Beorn now came
to a doubtful and little used end at the eastern edge of the forest; only the
river offered any longer a safe way from the skirts of Mirkwood in the North to
the mountain-shadowed plains beyond, and the river was guarded by the Wood-elves’
king. - - - So you see Bilbo had come in the end by the only road that was any
good.” p. 175
83. Bilbo Tells Off
Thorin: “Well, are you alive or are
you dead?” Asked Bilbo quite crossly. .
. “Are you still in prison, or are you free?
If you want food, and if you want to go on with this silly
adventure—it’s yours after all and not mine—you had better slap your arms and
rub your legs and try and help me get the others out while there is a chance!”
- - - Thorin of course saw the sense of this so after a few more groans he got
up and helped the hobbit as well as he could.”
pp. 178-179
84. On the Voice of
the People: “As for the Mater he saw
there was nothing else for it but to obey the general clamor, for the moment at
any rate, and to pretend to believe that Thorin was what he said.” p. 182
85. How the Dwarves
Were Treated in Laketown: “So he
[the Master of Laketown] gave up to him [Thorin] his own great chair and set
Fili and Kili beside him in places of honour.
Even Bilbo was given a seat at the high table . . . Soon afterwards the
other dwarves were brought into the town amid scenes of astonishing
enthusiasm. They were all doctored and
fed and housed and pampered in the most delightful and satisfactory fashion. A
large house was given up to Thorin and his company; boats and rowers were put at
their service; and crowds sat outside and sang songs all day, or cheered in any
dwarf showed so much as his nose. . . Indeed within a week they were quite
recovered, fitted out in fine cloth of their proper colors, with beards combed
and trimmed, and prod steps. Thorin
looked and walked as if his Kingdome was already regained and Smaug chopped up
into little pieces.” p. 183
86. Help Given by
the Men of Lake Town: “So one day,
although autumn was now getting far on, and winds were cold, and leaves were
falling fast, three large boats left Laketown, laden with rowers, dwarves, Mr.
Baggins, and many provisions. Horses and
ponies had been sent round by circuitous paths to meet them at their appointed
landing-place. The Mater and his
counselors bade them farewell from the great steps of the town-hall that went
down to the lake. People sang on the
quays and out of windows. The white oars
dipped and splashed, and off they went north up the lake on the last stage of
their long journey.” p. 185
87. As My Father
Used to Say: "I have got you out of
two messes already, which were hardly in the original bargain, so that I am, I
think, already owed some reward. But
‘third time pays for all’ as my father used to say, and somehow I don’t think I
shall refuse.” p. 195
88. Balin Alone
Volunteers to Go: “Fili and Kili
looked uncomfortable and stood on one leg, but the others made no pretense of
offering—except old Balin, the look-out man, who was rather fond of the
hobbit. He said he would come inside at
least and perhaps a bit of the way too, ready to call for help if necessary.” p. 196
89. On Dwarves: “There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but
calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and
treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people
like Thorin and Company, if you don’t expect too much.” p. 196
90. Bilbo’s Bravest
Moment: “This grew to the
unmistakable gurgling noise of some vast animal snoring in its sleep down there
in the red glow in front of him . . . It was at this point that Bilbo
stopped. Going on from there was the
bravest thing he ever did. The
tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel
alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait. At any rate after a short halt go on he did.
. .” p.197
91. On Words, Elves,
and Dragon Gold: “To say that
Bilbo’s breath was taken away is no description at all. There are no words left to express his
staggerment, since Men changed the language that they learned for elves in the
days when all the world was wonderful. Bilbo
had heard tell and sing of dragon-hoards before, but the splendor, the lust,
the glory of such treasure had never yet come home to him. His heart was filled and pierced with
enchantment and with the desire of dwarves; and he gazed motionless, almost forgetting
the frightful guardian, at the god beyond price and count.” p. 198
92. Dragons, Their
Treasures, and the Missing Cup: “Above
him [Bilbo] the sleeping dragon lay, a dire menace even in his sleep. He grasped a great two-handled cup, as heavy
as he could carry, and cast on fearful eye upwards. Smaug stirred a wing, opened a claw, the
rumble of his snoring changed its note. . .
Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know
it to an ounce as a rule, especially after long possession: and Smaug was no exception. He had passed from an uneasy dream (in which
a warrior, altogether insignificant in size but provided with a bitter sword
and great courage, figured most unpleasantly) to a doze, and from a doze to wide
waking. There was a breath of strange
air in his cave. . . He stirred and stretched forth his neck to sniff. Then he missed the cup!” p. 200
93. Bilbo, the Real
Leader: “Naturally the dwarves
accepted the offer eagerly. Already they
had come to respect little Bilbo. Now he
had become the real leader in their adventure.”
p. 203
94. Dragons Love
Riddles Too: “No dragon can resist
the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand
it.” p. 205
95. Dragon-spell,
Like the Voice of Saruman: “Bilbo
was now beginning to feel really uncomfortable.
Whenever Smaug’s roving eye, seeking for him in the shadows, flashed
across him, he trembled, and an unaccountable desire seized hold of him to rush
out and reveal himself and tell all the truth to Smaug. In fact he was in grievous danger of coming
under the dragon-spell.” p. 206
96. Smaug’s Brag: “Now I am old and strong, strong, strong,
Thief in the Shadows!” he gloated. “My
armour [sp.] is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the
shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath
death!” p. 207
97. Bilbo Tricks
Smaug to Find His Weakness: “I have
always understood, said Bilbo in a frightened squeak, “that dragons were softer
underneath, especially in the region of the—er—chest; but doubtless one so
fortified has thought of that” - - - The dragon stopped short in his
boasting. “Your information is
antiquated,” he snapped. “I am armoured
[sp.] above and below with iron scales and hard gems. No blade can pierce me. . . The dragon rolled
over. “Look!” he said. “What do you say
to that?” - - - Dazzlingly marvelous! Perfect!
Flawless! Staggering!” exclaimed
Bilbo aloud, but what he thought inside was: “Old fool! Why, there is a large patch in the hollow of
his left breast as bare as a snail out of its shell!” p. 208
98. Bilbo Makes
Another Saying: “Never laugh at live
dragons, Bilbo you fool!” he said to himself, and it became a favorite saying
of his later, and passed into a proverb.”
p. 209
99. Bilbo Promised
the Choice of the Treasure: “As for
your share, Mr. Baggins, I assure you we are more than grateful and you shall
choose your own fourteenth, as soon as we have anything to divide.” p. 211
100. As My Father
Used to Say, Again: “Come, come!” he
said. “‘While there’s life there’s
hope!’ as my father used to say. And
‘Third time pays for all.’” p. 214
101. Bilbo Claims the
Arkenstone: “It was the Arkenstone,
the Heart of the Mountain. So Bilbo
guessed from Thorin’s description; but indeed there could not be two such gems,
even in so marvelous a hoard, even in all the world. Ever as he climbed, the same white gleam had
shone before him and drawn his feet towards it.
Slowly it grew to a little globe of pallid light. Now as he came near, it was tinged with a
flickering sparkle of many colors at the surface, reflected and splintered from
the wavering light of his torch. At last
he looked down upon it, and he caught his breath. The great jewel shone before his feet of its
own inner light, and yet, cut and fashioned by the dwarves, who had dug it from
the heart of the mountain long ago, it took all light that fell upon it and
changed it into ten thousand sparks of white radiance shot with glints of the
rainbow. - - - Suddenly Bilbo’s arm went towards it drawn by its enchantment. His small hand would not close about it, for
it was a large and heavy gem; but he lifted it, shut his eyes, and put it in
his deepest pocket. - - - “Now I am a
burglar indeed!” pp. 216-217
102. Balin Volunteers
to Go and Help Bilbo: “It is about
our turn to help,” said Balin, “and I am quite willing to go. Anyway I expect it is safe for the
moment.” p. 218
103. Thorin Gives
Bilbo a Coat of Mail: “Mr. Baggins!”
he cried. “Here is the first payment of
your reward! Cast off you old coat and put
on this!” - - - With that he put on Bilbo a small coat of mail, wrought for
some young elf-prince long ago. It was
of silver-steel, which the elves call mithril,
and with it went a belt of pearls and crystals. A light helm of figured leather, strengthened
beneath with hoops of steel, and studded about the brim with white gems, was
set upon the hobbit’s head?” p. 219
104. On Cram: “. . . chiefly cram and water. (If you want
to know what cram is, I can only say
that I don’t know the recipe; but it is biscuitish, keeps good indefinitely, is
supposed to be sustaining, and is certainly not entertaining, being in fact
very uninteresting except as a chewing exercise. It was made by the Lake-men for long
journeys.)” p. 223
105. Lake-men Watch the
Stars on the Lake: “The men of the
lake-town Esgaroth were mostly indoors, for the breeze was from the black East
and chill, but a few were walking on the quays, and watching, as they were fond
of doing, the stars shine out from the smooth patches of the lake as they opened
in the sky.” p. 225
106. Smaug Fears the
Lake: “If he [Smaug] plunged into
it, a vapor and a steam would arise enough to cover all the land with a mist for
days; but the lake was mightier than he, it would quench him before he could
pass through.” p. 226
107. Meet Bard: “No one had dared to give battle to him
[Smaug] for many an age; nor would they have dared now, if it had not been for
the grim-voiced man (Bard was his name), who ran to and fro cheering on the
archers and urging the Master to order them to fight to the last arrow. . .
there was a company of archers that held their ground among the burning
houses. Their captain was Bard,
grim-voiced and grim-faced. Whose friends had accused him of prophesying floods
and poisoned fish, though they knew his worth and courage. He was a descendant in the long line of
Girion, Lord of Dale, whose wife and child had escaped down the Running River
from the ruin long ago.” pp. 227-228
108. The Thrush
Brings Bilbo’s Words to Bard:
“Suddenly out of the dark something fluttered to his shoulder. He started—but it was only an old
thrush. Unafraid it perched by his ear
and it brought him news. Marveling he
found he could understand its tongue, for he was of the race of Dale. - - -
“Wait! Wait!” it said to him. “The moon
is rising. Look for the hollow of the
left breast as he flies and turns above you!”
And while Bard paused in wonder it told him of tidings up in the
Mountain and of all that it had heard.. - - - The Bard drew his bow-sting to
his ear. The dragon was circling back,
flying low, and as he came the moon rose above the eastern shore and silvered
his great wings.” p. 228
109. The Speech on
the Arrow – the Death of Smaug: “Arrow!”
said the bowman. “Black arrow! I have
saved you to the last. You have never
failed me and always I have recovered you.
I had you from my father and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true
king under the Mountain, go now and speed well!” - - - The dragon swooped
once more lower than ever, and as he
turned and dived down his belly glittered white with sparkling fires of gems in
the moon—but not in one place. The great
bow twanged. The black arrow sped
straight from the string, straight for the hollow by the left breast where the
foreleg was flung wide. In it smote and
vanished, barb, shaft and feather, so fierce was its flight. With a shriek that deafened men, felled trees
and split stone, Smaug shot spouting into the air, turned over and crashed down
from on high in ruin.” pp. 228-229
110. One Quarter of
the Men of Laketown Killed by Smaug:
“. . . three quarters of the people of the town had at least escaped
alive . . .” p. 229
111. The Call to Make
Bard King: “And they praised the
courage of Bard and his last mighty shot.
“If only he had not been killed,” they said, “we would make him a
king. Bard the Dragon-shooter of the
line of Girion!” p. 229
112. The Master
Argues in Defense of Democracy: “Girion was lord of Dale, not king of
Esgaroth,” he [the Master] said. “In the
Lake town we have always elected masers for among the old and wise, and have
not endured the rule of mere fighting men.
Let ‘King Bard’ go back to his own kingdom—Dale is now freed by his
valor, and nothing hinders his return.”
p. 230
113. Help from the
Elvenking: “But the king, when he
received the prayers of Bard, had pity, for he was a lord of a good and kindly
people; so turning his march, which had at first been direct towards the
Mountain, he hastened now down the river to the Long Lake. He had not boats or
rafts enough for his host, and they were forced to go the slower way by foot;
but great store of goods he sent ahead by water. . . Their welcome was good, as
may be expected, and the men and their Master were ready to make any bargain
for the future in return for the Elvenking’s aid.” pp. 232-233
114. How Crows Differ
from Ravens: “Those were crows! And nasty suspicious-looking creatures at
that, and rude as well. You must have
heard the ugly names they were calling after us. But the ravens are different. There used to be a great friendship between
them and the people of Thror; and they often brought us secret news, and were rewarded
with such bright things as they coveted to hide in their dwellings.” p. 235
115. The Just Claims of Bard: “I am Bard, and by my hand was the dragon
slain and your treasure delivered. Is
that not a matter that concerns you?
Moreover I am by right decent the heir of Girion of Dale, and in your
hoard is mingled much of the wealth of his halls and towns, which of old Smaug
stole. Is not that a matter of which we may speak? Further in his last battle Smaug destroyed
the dwellings of the men of Esgaroth, and I am yet the servant of their
Master. I would speak for him and ask
whether you have no thought for the sorrow and misery of his people. They aided you in your distress, and in
recompense you have thus far brought ruin only, through doubtless undersigned.
- - - Now these were fair words and true, if proudly and grimly spoken; and
Bilbo thought that Thorin would at once admit what justice was in them.” p. 241
116. Bilbo Did Not
Expect Recognition for Discovering Smaug’s Weak Spot: “He [Bilbo] did not, of course, expect that
anyone would remember that it was he who discovered all by himself the dragon’s
weak spot; and that was just as well, for no one ever did.” p. 241
11. Bard Recounts
the Friendship of the Elves: “The
Elvenking is my friend, and he has succored the people of the Lake in their
need, though they had no claim but friendship on him.” answered Bard.” p. 242
11. Bombur, FIli,
Kili, and Bilbo Were for Peace: “So
grim had Thorin become, that even if they had wished, the others would not have
dared to find fault with him; but indeed most of them seemed to share his
mind—except perhaps old fat Bombur and Fili and Kili. Bilbo, of course, disapproved of the whole
turn of affairs.” p. 243
11. Bilbo and the
Elvenking: “This is the Arkenstone
of Thrain,” said Bilbo, “the Heart of the Mountain. - - - But how is it yours to give? He asked at last with an effort. - - - O
well!’ said the hobbit uncomfortably. It
isn’t exactly; but, well, I am willing to let it stand against all my claim,
don’t you know. I may be a burglar—or so
they say: personally I never really felt like one—but I am an honest one, I
hope, more or less. Anyway I am going
back now, and the dwarves can do what they like to me. I hope you will find it useful.” - - - The
Elvenking looked at Bilbo with a new wonder. “Bilbo Baggins!” he said. “You are more worthy to wear the armour of
elf-prince then many that have looked more comely in it. But I wonder if Thorin Oakenshield will see
it so. I have more knowledge of dwarves
in general than you have perhaps. I
advise you to remain with us, and here you shall be honoured and thrice
welcome.” p. 248
120. Dain’s Dwarves
Described: “Each one of his [Dain's] folk was
clad in a hauberk of steel mail that hung to his knees, and his legs were
covered with hose of a fine and flexible metal mesh, the secret of whose making
was possessed by Dain’s people. The
dwarves are exceedingly strong for their height, but most of these were strong
even for dwarves. In battle they wielded
heavy two-handed mattocks; but each of them had also a short broad sword at his
side and a round shield slung at his back.
Their beards were forked and plaited and thrust into their belts. Their caps were of iron and they were shod
with iron, and their faces were grim.” p.253
121. Wisdom of the
Elvenking: “But the Elvenking said:
“Long will I tarry, ere I begin this war for gold. The dwarves cannot pass us, unless we will,
or do anything that we cannot mark. Let
us hope still something that will bring reconciliation. Our advantage in numbers will be enough, if
in the end it must come to unhappy blows.” pp. 254-255
122. The Goblins Are
Upon You: “Halt!” cried Gandalf, who
appeared suddenly, and stood alone with arms uplifted, between the advancing
dwarves and the ranks awaiting them.
“Halt!” he called in a voice like thunder, and his staff blazed forth
with a flash like the lightning. “Dread has
come upon you all! Alas! it has come more swiftly than I guessed. The Goblins are upon you! Bolg* [*Son of Azog] of the North is coming,
O Dain! whose father you slew in Moria.
Behold! The bats are above his army like a sea of locusts. They ride upon wolves and Wargs are in their
train!” p. 255
123. The Enemy of My
Enemy [As My Father Used to Say]:
“This is the plan that he made in council with the Elvenking and with
Bard; and with Dain, for the dwarf-lord now joined them: the Goblins were the
foes of all, and at their coming all other quarrels were forgotten.” p. 256
124. Like the Nazis: “their banners were countless, black and red,
and they came on like a tide in fury and disorder.” p. 257
125. Bilbo Makes His
Stand with the Elves: On all this
Bilbo looked with misery. He had taken
his stand on Ravenhill among the Elves—partly because there was more chance of
escape from that point, and partly (with the more Tookish part of his mind)
because if he was going to be in a last desperate stand, he preferred on the whole
to defend the Elvenking.” p. 259
126. Out of the West
– The Eagles Are Coming: ‘The clouds
were torn by the wind, and a red sunset slashed the West. Seeing the sudden gleam in the gloom Bilbo
looked round., He gave a great cry” he
had seen a sight that made his heart leap, dark shapes yet majestic against the
distant glow. - - -“The Eagles! The Eagles! he shouted. “The Eagles are coming!” p. 260
127. Even Gandalf
Wounded: “. . . Bilbo was set down
before a tent in Dale; and there stood Gandalf, with his arm in a sling. Even the wizard had not escaped without a
wound; and there were few unharmed in all the host.” p. 262
128. Thorin’s Final
Words to Bilbo: “Farewell, good
thief,” he said. “I go now to the halls
of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go
where it is of little worth, I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would
take back my words and deeds at the Gate.” - - - Bilbo knelt on one knee filled
with sorrow. “Farewell, King under the
Mountain!” he said. “This is a bitter
adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your
perils—that has been more than any Baggins deserves.” - - -“No!” said Thorin.
“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly
West. Some courage and some wisdom
blended in measure. If more of us valued
food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!”
pp. 262-263
129. Beorn’s Role in
the Victory: “But even with the
Eagles they were still outnumbered. In
the last hour Beorn himself had appeared—no one knew how or from where. He came alone, and in bear’s shape; and he
seemed to have grown almost to giant-size in his wrath. - - - The roar of his
voice was like drums and guns; and he tossed wolves and goblins from his path
like straws and feathers. He fell upon
the rear, and broke like a clap of thunder through the ring. The dwarves were making a stand still about
their lords upon a low rounded hill.
Then Beorn stooped and lifted Thorin, who had fallen pierced with
spears, and bore him out of the fray. - - - Swiftly he returned and his wrath
was redoubled, so that nothing could withstand him, and no weapon seemed to
bite upon him. He scattered the
bodyguard, and pulled down Bolg himself and crushed him. Then dismay fell on the Goblins and they fled
in all directions. But weariness left
their enemies with the coming of new hope, and they pursued them closely, and
prevented most of them form escaping were they could . . . Songs have said that
three parts of the goblin warrior of the North perished on that day, and the
mountains had peace for many a year.” pp.
263-264
130. Thorin’s Tomb: “They buried Thorin deep beneath the Mountain,
and Bard laid the Arkenstone upon his breast. - - - “There let it lie till the
Mountain falls!” he said. “May it bring
good fortune to all his folk that dwell here after!” - - - Upon his tomb the
Elvenking then laid Orcrist, the elvish sword that had been taken from Thorin
in captivity. It is said in songs that
it gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached, and the fortress of the dwarves
could not be taken by surprise.” pp. 265
131. Fili and Kili
Also Killed: “Fili and Kili had
fallen defending him [Thorin] with shield and body, for he was their mother’s
elder brother.” p. 265
132. Bilbo’s
Treasure: “In the end he would only
take two small chests, one filled with silver, and the other with gold, such as
one strong pony could carry. “That will
be quite as much as I can manage,” said he.”
p. 266
133. You Don’t Need
to Knock: “If ever you are passing my
way,” said Bilbo, “don’t wait to knock!
Tea is at four; but any of you are welcome at any time!” p. 266
134. Homeward with
the Elvenking (Including His Blessings on Gandalf and Bilbo): “Gandalf and Bilbo road behind the Elvenking,
and beside them strode Beorn, once again in man’s shape, and he laughed and
sang in a loud voice upon the road . . . the wizard and Bilbo would not enter
the wood, even though the king bade them stay a while in his halls. . .
Farewell! O Elvenking!” said Gandalf.
“Merry be the greenwood, while the world is yet young! And merry be all your folk!” - - - “Farewell!
O Gandalf!” said the king. "May you ever
appear where you are most needed and least expected! The oftener you appear in my halls the better
shall I be pleased!” - - - “I beg of you,’ said Bilbo stammering and standing
on one foot, “to accept this gift!” and he brought out a necklace of silver and
pearls that Dain had given him at their parting. - - - “In what way have I
earned such a gift, O hobbit?” said the king. - - - “Well, er, I thought, don’t
you know,” said Bilbo rather confused, “that, er, some little return should be
made for your, er, hospitality. I mean
even a burglar has his feelings. I have
drunk much of your wine and eaten much or your bread.” - - - “I will take your
gift, O Bilbo the Magnificent!” said the king gravely. “And I name you elf-friend and blessed. May you shadow never grow less (or stealing
would be too easy)! Farewell.” p. 267
135. There Are More
Stories to Tell: “He [Bilbo] had
many adventures before he got back.” p.
267
136. Home at Last,
Took v Baggins Once Again: “So comes
snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending!” said Bilbo, and he turned
his back on his adventures. The Tookish
part was getting very tired, and the Baggins was daily getting stronger. “I wish now only to be in my own armchair!”
he said.” p. 268
137. What Gandalf Was
Doing (White Wizards Council): “It
appeared that Gandalf had been to a great council of the white wizards, master
of lore and good magic; and that they had at last driven the Necromancer from
his dark hold in south of Mirkwood. “ p.
271
138. Elrond’s Warning
Concerning Saron: “Ere long now,” Gandalf was saying, “the Forest will
grow somewhat more wholesome. The North
will be freed from that horror for many long years, I hope. Yet I wish he were vanished from the world!”
- - - “It would be well indeed,” said Elrond; “but I fear that will not come
about in this age of the world, or for many after.” p. 271
139. In the House of
Elrond: “A little sleep does a great
cure in the house of Elrond,” said he [Bilbo]; “but I will take all the cure I
can get. A second good night, fair
friends!” And with that he went back to
bed and slept till late morning. - - - Weariness fell from him soon in that
house, and he had many a merry jest and dance, early and late, with the elves
of the valley.” p. 272
140. Bilbo’s Poem on
the Road: “Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree, By caves where never sun has shone, By streams that
never find the sea; Over snow by winter sown, And through the merry flowers of
June, Over grass and over stone, And under mountains in the moon. - - - Roads
go ever ever on, Under cloud and under star, Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar. Eyes that
fire and sword have seen And horror in the halls of stone Look at last on
meadows green And trees and hills they long have known. - - - Gandalf looked at
him. “My dear Bilbo!” he said. “Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were.” p. 273
141. On
Sackville-Baggineses: "Bilbo’s
cousins the Sackville-Bagginses were, in fact, busy measuring his rooms to see
if their own furniture would fit. . . in the end to save time Bilbo had to buy
back quite a lot of his own furniture.
Many of his silver spoons mysteriously disappeared and were never
accounted for. Personally he suspected
the Sackville-Bagginses. On their side
they never admitted that the returned Baggins was genuine, and they were not on
friendly terms with Bilbo ever after.
They really had wanted to live in his nice hobbit-hole so very
much.” p. 274
142. Bilbo Had “Lost”
His Reputation: “Indeed Bilbo found
he had lost more than spoons—he had lost his reputation. It is true that for ever after he remained an
elf-friend, and had the honour of dwarves, wizards, and all such folk as ever
passes that way; but he was no longer quite respectable. He was in fact held by all the hobbits of the
neighborhood to be ‘queer’—except by his nephews and nieces on the Took side,
but even they were not encouraged in their friendship by their elders.” p. 275
143. The Rest of His
Days: “He [Bilbo] took to writing
poetry and visiting the elves; and though many shook their heads and touched
their foreheads and said “Poor old Baggins!” and though few believed any of his
tales, he remained very happy to the end of his days, and those were
extraordinarily long.” p. 275
144. The Prophesies
Fulfilled: “Bard had rebuilt the
town in Dale. . . And Lake-town was refounded and was more prosperous than
ever, and much wealth went up and down the Running River; and there was
friendship in those parts between elves and dwarves and men. - - - Then the
prophecies of the old songs have turned out to be true, after a fashion!” said
Bilbo. - - - “Of course!” said Gandalf. “And why should not they prove
true? Surely you don’t disbelieve the
prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don’t really suppose, do you, that all
your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole
benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr.
Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a
wide world after all!” - - - Thank goodness!” said Bilbo laughing, and handed
him the tobacco-jar.” p. 275- 76
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