The Treason of Isengard (82 page)

Authors: J. R. R. Tolkien

BOOK: The Treason of Isengard

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the value gw. The short single vertical used in E as abbreviation for the when in the upper position and as a sign for the vowel [e] when in the lower position is here used for the in the lower position, but in the upper position for h (in have, has, his): in both occurrences of the word hall the stroke stands in the lower position, but this may have been no more than an inadvertence, for the runes in this sketch were pencilled very rapidly and several were written erroneously and then corrected. The rune for the initial consonants [s] in shaft and [ts] in chair, chamber also differ in their values from those ascribed to them in E. The use of the m-rune for v in we have occupied (line 9) can only be a slip. Lastly, the vowel [ ~ ] is employed not only in under, sun, up but also in an (arrow) and in first (at the second occurrence).

Comparison with E will show that the second version of the page from the Book of Mazarbul agrees with it in every point and detail.

The different form of the I-rune in Floi (line 4), with the crossing stroke falling, not rising, to the right, is probably merely accidental (in the third version the shape is normal at this point).

To this version my father appended a phonetic transcription. In this he interpreted oukn in line 6 as ?broken, it at the end of line 10 as?its, and the word before helm in line 17 as (?sil)vr, though the last rune is very clearly n, not r (in the third version an r-rune is written here).

The sequence of development in this much-considered passage was very probably as follows. The original form of the text that Gandalf first read out from the Book of Mazarbul seems to have been that of the earliest drawing of the page itself (plate VI, i). Closely related to it is the form in the original pencilled narrative of the scene, which can be largely made out beneath the text written over it in ink (see pp. 191

and 205 note 4). Both forms had the Orcs for Orcs and Balin's chair for Balin's seat; but the original narrative text had we have found truesilver, well-forged, and (To)morrow Oin is... lead... seek for the upp(er) armoury of the Third Deep, all of which is absent from the first drawing of the page.

The overwritten text in the first narrative, which is given on p. 191, is effectively the same as the text in the second drawing of the page (plate VI, ii).

The third drawing of the page (which is otherwise very similar to the second, and employs exactly the same runic system) corresponds to the text of the fair copy manuscript of 'The Mines of Moria (ii)' given on pp. 200 - 1.

It is plain therefore that the first three drawings of this page from the Book of Mazarbul all belong to the same time, and relate step by step to the rewriting of this passage through the original draft and first fair copy of the narrative chapter; and that the runic alphabet set out in E,

'Dwarfrunes for writing English' (plate V), belongs to this time also.

But when the fourth version of this page was done the runic values had changed.

The first drawings of the other two pages from the Book of Mazarbul (that written by Ori in Elvish script and the last page of the book, in runes) belong with and were done at the same time as the third drawing of the first page; for the texts see pp. 200 - 1.

CONTENTS.

Foreword. page 1.

I. GANDALF'S DELAY. 5.

II. THE FOURTH PHASE (1): FROM

HOBBITON TO BREE. 18.

III. THE FOURTH PHASE (2): FROM BREE TO

THE FORD OF RIVENDELL 40.

IV. OF HAMILCAR, GANDALF, AND

SARUMAN. 67.

V. BILBO'S SONG AT RIVENDELL:

ERRANTRY AND EARENDILLINWE. 81.

VI. THE COUNCIL OF ELROND (1). 110.