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 were allowed to grow there would no longer be any resource.  Madame de Maintenon grew angry, and all he obtained for his zeal was her anger.  She said that only the personal enemies of Fagon could find fault with his opinion upon the King’s health, concerning which the capacity, the application, the experience of the chief physician could not be deceived.  The best of it is that Marechal, who had formerly operated upon Fagon for stone, had been appointed chief surgeon by him, and they had always lived on the best of terms.  Marechal, annoyed as he related to me, could do nothing more, and began from that time to lament the death of his master.  Fagon was in fact the first physician in Europe, but for a long time his health had not permitted him to maintain his experience; and the high point of authority to which his capacity and his favour had carried him, had at last spoiled him.  He would not hear reason, or submit to reply, and continued to treat the King as he had treated him in early years; and killed him by his obstinacy.