Alan Sisto

Christopher then does a very brief aside, giving us more detail on the pipeweed controversy when he says that in another version, there is a description of the occasion when Soderman openly scoffed at Gandalf's use of the pipeweed.

And this is something that many of you are familiar with, even if you've never read this passage, because it's kind of made the rounds as one of the things about pipeweed.

And that's where we return to Tolkien's writing for the rest of this.

Now, because of his dislike and fear, in the later days, Sodom and avoided Gandalf, and they seldom met, except at the assemblies of the White Council.

It was at the Great Council, held in 2851, that the halfling's leaf was first spoken of, and the matter was noted with amusement at the time, though it was afterwards remembered in a different light.

The council met in Rivendell, and Gandalf sat apart, silent, but smoking prodigiously, a thing he had never done before on such an occasion.

While Sodom spoke against him and urged that, contrary to Gandalf's advice, Dol Guldur should not yet be molested.

Both the silence and the smoke seemed greatly to annoy Sodom.

And before the council dispersed, he said to Gandalf,

When weighty matters are in debate, Mithrandir, I wonder a little that you should play with your toys of fire and smoke while others are in earnest speech.

But Gandalf laughed and replied, You would not wonder if you used this herb yourself.

You might find that smoke blown out cleared your mind of shadows within.

Anyway, it gives patience to listen to error without anger.

but it is not one of my toys.

It is an art of the little people away in the West.

Merry and worthy folk, though not of much account, perhaps, in your high policies.

I mean, remember we were talking about what would have happened if Gandalf heard about the old man in gray wandering in the Shire around dusk?

Well, it happened, like we said.

And Gandalf knew that Saruman had been there and he had a pretty good guess as to the reason.

Yeah.