"My dear Peter," says Nasgig, "know that your fame has reached far and near since I saw you before; and our state, though a large and populous one, and once of mighty power and twice its present extent, by the revolt of the western part of it, who chose themselves a king, has been so miserably harassed by wars, that the revolters, who are ever fomenting discontent and rebellion amongst us, will, by the encroachments they daily make on us, certainly reduce us at last to a province under their government; which will render us all slaves to a usurped power, set up against our lawful sovereign. Now these things were foretold long enough before they actually began to be transacted; but all being then at peace, and no prospect of what has since happened, we looked not out for a remedy, till the disease became stubborn and incurable."--"Pray," says I, "by whom were the things you mention foretold?"--"By a very ancient and grave ragan," says he.--"How long ago?" says I.--"Oh, above four times the age of the oldest man living," says he.--"And when did he say it would happen?" says I.--"That," says he, "was not quite so clear then."--"But how do you know," says I, "that he ever said any such thing?"--"Why, the thing itself was so peculiar," says he, "and the ragan delivered it so positively, that his successors have ever since pronounced it twelve times a year publicly, word for word, to put the people in mind of it, and from whom they must hope for relief; and now the long-expected time being come, we have no hopes but in your destruction of the tyrant-usurper."--"I destroy him!" says I: "if he is not destroyed till I do it, I fear your state is but in a bad case."--"My good friend Peter," says he, "you or nobody can do it."--"Pugh," says I, "Nasgig, I took you for a man of more sense, notwithstanding the prejudices of education, than to think, because you have seen me kill a beast-fish that could not come to hurt me at the distance of twenty paces, that I can kill your usurper at the distance he is from me."--"No, my good friend," says Nasgig, "I know you take me to have more judgment than to think so."--"Why, what else can I do," says I, "unless he will come hither to be killed by me?"--"Dear Peter," says he, "you will not hear me out."--"I will," says I, "say on."--"You, as I said before, being the only person that can, according to our prediction, destroy this usurper and restore peace among us, my master Georigetti, and the whole state of Normnbdsgrsutt, were going to send a splendid embassy to you; but your father advising to repose the commission wholly in me, they all consented to it, and I am come to invite you over to Brandleguarp for that purpose. I know you will tell me you have not the graundee, and cannot get thither: but I am assured you have what is far better; the wisdom you have will help you to surmount that difficulty, which our whole moucheratt cannot get over. And I am sure did you apply half the thought to accomplish it you seem