I pleaded hard for Nicor, as I perceived him to be only the favourite's favourite, and not in the scrape for his own views, more than what he might merit from his new master; and as he had declared the truth, and I believed I might make further use of him, I obtained that he might be only committed to me, and that I might have liberty of pardoning or slitting as I saw fit; and, as I expected, he afterwards proved very useful to me and my designs, and I pardoned him. Before the assembly rose, a party of the natives of Mount Alkoe were ordered to convey Yaccombourse and Barbarsa to the mountain, slip their graundees, and drop them there; and thus ended the lives of these two aspiring persons. When I came home, I called Nicor before me. "You know," says I, "Nicor, you are obliged to me for this moment of your life; but I don't remind you of it for any return I want to myself; but as you are sensible my endeavours are to serve this State, I offer you life and freedom upon condition you employ your utmost diligence to repair your past conduct, by a free declaration of everything in your power that may be for the benefit of the kingdom, as you know the springs by which all these bad movements have been set at work; and I desire your opinion how best to counteract the schemes formed, and redress the evils." Nicor being fully convinced of his error, and having lost his patron, was very submissive; and declared he believed none of the provinces would have gone over to Harlokin, unless they had thought it was the king's order Barbarsa had acted by, which, by bearing his gripsack, they made no doubt of. He advised to send expresses with the king's gripsack to such places as had lately submitted, and to such as were about it, to put a stop to them. I told him I had done that; "But not by the gripsack," says he, "and unless they see and hear that, they will give no credit to the message." He then gave me some particular hints in other affairs of no mean consequence; and seeing him truly under concern, and, to my thinking, sincere in what he said, I told him I was an absolute enemy to confinement, and if any person of repute would engage he should be forthcoming upon all occasions that I might have recourse to him, I would let him have his liberty. Poor Nicor, as it commonly happens to great men in disgrace, finding himself abandoned by all his friends, after trying everybody, dropping some tears, told me next morning he was highly sensible of what a dye his offences had been, for that not one amongst all his former friends would even look upon him in his present circumstances, wherefore he must submit to fate.