“I don't like allegories.” — J. R. R. Tolkien

Middle English is an exciting field - almost uncharted, I begin to think, because as soon as one turns detailed personal attention on to any little corner of it, the received notions and ideas seem to crumple up and fall to pieces - as far as language goes, at any rate.

'I wish life was not so short,' he thought. 'Languages take such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about.'

The original 'Hobbit' was never intended to have a sequel - Bilbo 'remained very happy to the end of his days and those were extraordinarily long': a sentence I find an almost insuperable obstacle to a satisfactory link.

A friend of mine tells that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it.