A short time after he called the Marechal de Villeroy to him, and said he had made him governor of the Dauphin.  He then called to him M. le Duc and M. le Prince de Conti, and recommended to them the advantage of union among princes.  Then, hearing women in the cabinet, questioned who were there, and immediately sent word they might enter.  Madame la Duchesse de Berry, Madame la Duchesse d’Orleans, and the Princesses of the blood forthwith appeared, crying.  The King told them they must not cry thus, and said a few friendly words to them, and dismissed them.  They retired by the cabinet, weeping and crying very loudly, which caused people to believe outside that the King was dead; and, indeed, the rumour spread to Paris, and even to the provinces.

Some time after the King requested the Duchesse de Ventadour to bring the little Dauphin to him.  He made the child approach, and then said to him, before Madame de Maintenon and the few privileged people present, “My child, you are going to be a great king; do not imitate me in the taste I have had for building, or in that I have had for war; try, on the contrary, to be at peace with your neighbours.  Render to God what you owe Him; recognise the obligations you are under to Him; make Him honoured by your subjects.  Always follow good counsels; try to comfort your people, which I unhappily have not done.  Never forget the obligation you owe to Madame de Ventadour.  Madame (addressing her), let me embrace him (and while embracing him), my dear child, I give you my benediction with my whole heart.”

As the little Prince was about to be taken off the bed, the King redemanded him, embraced him again, and raising hands and eyes to Heaven, blessed him once more.  This spectacle was extremely touching.

On Tuesday, the 27th of August, the King said to Madame de Maintenon, that he had always heard, it was hard to resolve to die; but that as for him, seeing himself upon the point of death, he did not find this resolution so difficult to form.  She replied that it was very hard when we had attachments to creatures, hatred in our hearts, or restitutions to make.  “Ah,” rejoined the King, “as for restitutions, to nobody in particular do I owe any; but as for those I owe to the realm, I hope in the mercy of God.”

The night which followed was very agitated.  The King was seen at all moments joining his hands, striking his breast, and was heard repeating the prayers he ordinarily employed.

On Wednesday morning, the 28th of August, he paid a compliment to Madame de Maintenon, which pleased her but little, and to which she replied not one word.  He said, that what consoled him in quitting her was that, considering the age she had reached, they must soon meet again!

About seven o’clock in the morning, he saw in the mirror two of his valets at the foot of the bed weeping, and said to them, “Why do you weep?  Is it because you thought me immortal?  As for me, I have not thought myself so, and you ought, considering my age, to have been prepared to lose me.”