to beg the King, in her name, that Chirac, a famous
doctor of M. d’Orleans, should be allowed to
see M. le Duc de Berry. The King refused, on
the ground that all the other doctors were in accord,
and that Chirac, who might differ with them, would
embarrass them. After dinner Mesdames de Pompadour
and La Vieuville arrived, on the part of Madame la
Duchesse de Berry, to beg the King that she might
be allowed to come and see her husband, saying that
she would come on foot rather than stay away.
It would have been better, surely, for her to come
in a coach, if she so much wished, and, before alighting,
to send to the King for permission so to do.
But the fact is, she had no more desire to come than
M. de Berry had to see her. He never once mentioned
her name, or spoke of her, even indirectly. The
King replied to those ladies by saying that he would
not close the door against Madame la Duchesse de Berry,
but, considering the state she was in, he thought
it would be very imprudent on her part to come.
He afterwards told M. le Duc and Madame la Duchesse
d’Orleans to go to Versailles and hinder her
from coming. Upon returning from the review
the King went again to see M. le Duc de Berry.
He had been once more bled in the arm, had vomited
all day much blood too—and had taken some
Robel water three times, in order to stop his sickness.
This vomiting put off the communion. Pere de
la Rue had been by his side ever since Tuesday morning,
and found him very patient and resigned.
On Thursday, the 3rd, after a night worse than ever,
the doctors said they did not doubt that a vein had
been broken in the stomach. It was reported
that this accident had happened by an effort M. de
Berry made when out hunting on the previous Thursday,
the day the Elector of Bavaria arrived. His
horse slipped; in drawing the animal up, his body struck
against the pommel of the saddle, so it was said, and
ever since he had spit blood every day. The
vomiting ceased at nine o’clock in the morning,
but the patient was no better. The King, who
was going stag-hunting, put it off. At six
o’clock at night M. de Berry was so choked that
he could no longer remain in bed; about eight o’clock
he found himself so relieved that he said to Madame,
he hoped he should not die; but soon after, the malady
increased so much that Pere de la Rue said it was
no longer time to think of anything but God, and of
receiving the sacrament. The poor Prince himself
seemed to desire it.
A little after ten o’clock at night the King
went to the chapel, where a consecrated Host had been
kept prepared ever since the commencement of the illness.
M. le Duc de Berry received it, with extreme unction,
in presence of the King, with much devotion and respect.
The King remained nearly an hour in the chamber,
supped alone in his own, did not receive the Princesses
afterwards, but went to bed. M. le Duc d’Orleans,
at ten o’clock in the morning, went again to
Versailles, as Madame la Duchesse de Berry wished