On Friday, the 9th of August, 1715, the King hunted the stag after dinner in his caleche, that he drove himself as usual.  ’Twas for the last time.  Upon his return he appeared much knocked up.  There was a grand concert in the evening in Madame de Maintenon’s apartment.

On Saturday, the 10th of August, he walked before dinner in his gardens at Marly; he returned to Versailles about six o’clock in the evening, and never again saw that strange work of his hands.  In the evening he worked with the Chancellor in Madame de Maintenon’s rooms, and appeared to everybody very ill.  On Sunday, the eleventh of August, he held the Council of State, walked, after dinner to Trianon, never more to go out again during life.

On the morrow, the 12th of August, he took medicine as usual, and lived as usual the following days.  It was known that he complained of sciatica in the leg and thigh.  He had never before had sciatica, or rheumatism, or a cold; and for a long time no touch of gout.  In the evening there was a little concert in Madame de Maintenon’s rooms.  This was the last time in his life that he walked alone.

On Tuesday, the 13th of August, he made a violent effort, and gave a farewell audience to a sham Persian ambassador, whom Pontchartrain had imposed upon him; this was the last public action of his life.  The audience, which was long, fatigued the King.  He resisted the desire for sleep which came over him, held the Finance Council, dined, had himself carried to Madame de Maintenon’s, where a little concert was given, and on leaving his cabinet stopped for the Duchesse de la Rochefoucauld, who presented to him the Duchesse de la Rocheguyon, her daughter-in-law, who was the last lady presented to him.  She took her tabouret that evening at the King’s grand supper, which was the last he ever gave.  On the morrow he sent some precious stones to the Persian ambassador just alluded to.  It was on this day that the Princesse des Ursins set off for Lyons, terrified at the state of the King as I have already related.

For more than a year the health of the King had diminished.  His valets noticed this first, and followed the progress of the malady, without one of them daring to open his mouth.  The bastards, or to speak exactly, M, du Maine saw it; Madame de Maintenon also; but they did nothing.  Fagon, the chief physician, much fallen off in mind and body, was the only one of the King’s intimates who saw nothing.  Marechal, also chief physician, spoke to him (Fagon) several times, but was always harshly repulsed.  Pressed at last by his duty and his attachment, he made bold one morning towards Whitsuntide to go to Madame de Maintenon.  He told her what he saw and how grossly Fagon was mistaken.  He assured her that the, King, whose pulse he had often felt, had had for some time a slow internal fever; that his constitution was so good that with remedies and attention all would go well, but that if the malady