are dubious. There are indications in a fragmentary legend
of Georgius son of Giles and his page Suovetaurilius (Suet)
that at one time an outpost against the Middle Kingdom
was maintained at Farthingho. But that situation does not
concern this story, which is now presented without
alteration or further comment, though the original grandiose
title has bear suitably reduced to Farmer Giles of Ham.
-------------------
Farmer Giles of Ham
-------------------
AEGIDIUS DE HAMMO was a man who lived in the
midmost parts of the Island of Britain. In full his name was
Ngidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo; for
people were richly endowed with names in those days,
now long ago, when this island was still happily divided into
many kingdoms. There was more time then, and folly were
fewer, so that most men were distinguished. However,
those days are now over, so I will in what follows give the
man his name shortly, and in the vulgar form: he was
Farmer Giles of Ham, and he had a red beard. Ham was
only a village, but villages were proud and independent still
in those days.
Farmer Giles had a dog. The dog's name was Garm. Dogs
had to be content with short names in the vernacular: the
Book-Latin was reserved for their betters. Garm could not
talk even dog-Latin; but he could use the vulgar tongue (as
could most dogs of his day) either to bully or to brag or to
wheedle in. Bullying was for beggars and trespassers,
bragging for other dogs, and wheedling for his
master. Garm was both proud and afraid of Giles, who
could bully and brag better than he could.
The time was not one of hurry or bustle. But bustle has
very little to do with business. Men did their work without
it; and they got through a deal both of work and of talk.
There was plenty to talk about, for memorable events
occurred very frequently. -But at the moment when this
tale begins nothing memorable had, in fact, happened in
Ham for quite a long time. Which suited Farmer Giles
down to the ground: he was a slow sort of fellow, rather
set in his ways, and taken up with his own affairs. He had
his hands full (he said) keeping the wolf from the door
that is, keeping himself as fat and comfortable as his father
before him. The dog was busy helping him. Neither of
them gave much thought to the Wide World outside their
fields, the village, and the nearest market.
