Soon after the Chancellor left the King, Madame de Maintenon, who remained, sent for the ladies; and the musicians came at seven o’clock in the evening.  But the King fell asleep during the conversation of the ladies.  He awoke; his brain confused, which frightened them and made them call the doctors.  They found his pulse so bad that they did not hesitate to propose to him, his senses having returned, to take the sacrament without delay.  Pere Tellier was sent for; the musicians who had just prepared their books and their instruments, were dismissed, the ladies also; and in a quarter of an hour from that time, the King made confession to Pere Tellier, the Cardinal de Rohan, meanwhile, bringing the Holy Sacrament from the chapel, and sending for the Cure and holy oils.  Two of the King’s chaplains, summoned by the Cardinal, came, and seven or eight candlesticks were carried by valets.  The Cardinal said a word or two to the King upon this great and last action, during which the King appeared very firm, but very penetrated with what he was doing.  As soon as he had received Our Saviour and the holy oils, everybody left the chamber except Madame de Maintenon and the Chancellor.  Immediately afterwards, and this was rather strange, a kind of book or little tablet was placed upon the bed, the codicil was presented to the King, and at the bottom of it he wrote four or five lines, and restored the document to the Chancellor.

After this, the King sent for M. le Duc d’Orleans, showed him much esteem, friendship, and confidence; but what is terrible with Jesus Christ still upon his lips—­the Sacrament he had just received—­he assured him, he would find nothing in his will with which he would not feel pleased.  Then he recommended to him the state and the person of the future King.

On Monday, the 26th of August, the King called to him the Cardinals de Rohan and de Bissy, protested that he died in the faith, and in submission to the Church, then added, looking at them, that he was sorry to leave the affairs of the Church as they were; that they knew he had done nothing except what they wished; that it was therefore for them to answer before God for what he had done; that his own conscience was clear, and that he was as an ignorant man who had abandoned himself entirely to them.  What a frightful thunderbolt was this to the two Cardinals; for this was an allusion to the terrible constitution they had assisted Pere Tellier in forcing upon him.  But their calm was superior to all trial.  They praised him and said he had done well, and that he might be at ease as to the result.