The note hails from
The Annals of Aman, but appears on the typescript specifically, so is probably not earlier than 1958-ish. The revision by Tolkien refers to the word
host, but in the margin appears the drastic reduction and specific numbering...
Quote:
('a host of Balrogs, the last of his servants that remained') 'his Balrogs, the last of his servants that remained faithful to him'. In the margin my father wrote: 'There should not be supposed more than say 3 or at most 7 ever existed.'
Morgoth's Ring, The Annals of Aman, §50
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As I say, for the 1977 Silmarillion Christopher Tolkien retained the wording with respect to the War of Wrath, but he seems to have edited out still existing references to large numbers of Balrogs, nicely leaving the constructed version vague (enough) on the question.
Some published Silmarillion alterations to JRRT's
Quenta Silmarillion are noted below, after the texts they are seemingly based on (unless these were altered by JRRT himself, but this is not noted in
The History of Middle-Earth series at least, that I remember anyway).
__________
'Wherefore each embassy came with greater force than was agreed, but Morgoth sent the greater, and they were Balrogs. Maidros was ambushed...' (Of The Siege of Angband, Quenta Silmarillion)
[] '... but Morgoth sent the more, and there were Balrogs.' Of The Return of the Noldor (The Silmarillion)
'Sauron came against Orodreth, the warden of the tower, with a host of Balrogs.' (Of the Ruin of Beleriand And the Fall of Fingolfin, Quenta Silmarillion)
[] '... named Gorthaur, came against Orodreth, the warden of the tower upon Tol Sirion.' Of The Ruin Of Beleriand (The Silmarillion)
'There came wolves and serpents, and there came Balrogs one thousand,...' (Of the Fourth Battle: Nírnaith Arnediad, Quenta Silmarillion)
[] 'There came wolves and wolfriders, and there came Balrogs, and dragons...' Of The Fifth Battle (The Silmarillion)