CODICIL TO HIS WILL. 351

excused themselves for doing nothing on the ground that he
did not wish for remedies.

On Sunday, the 25th of August, no more mystery was made
of the King's danger. Nevertheless, he expressly commanded
that nothing should be changed in the usual order of this day
(the fete of St. Louis), that is to say, that the drums and the
hautboys, assembled beneath his windows, should play their
accustomed music as soon as he awoke, and that the twenty-
four violins should play in the ante-chamber during his dinner.
He worked afterwards with the Chancellor, who wrote under
his dictation, a codicil to his will, Madame de Maintenon being
present. She and M. du Maine, who thought incessantly of
themselves, did not consider the King had done enough for
them by his will; they wished to remedy this by a codicil,
which equally showed how enormously they abused the King's
weakness in this extremity, and to what an excess ambition
may carry us. By this codicil the King submitted all the civil
and military household of the young King to the Due du Maine,
and under his orders to Marshal de Villeroy, who, by this
disposition became the sole masters of the person and the
dwelling place of the King, and of Paris, by the troops placed
in their hands; so that the Regent had not the slightest
shadow of authority and was at their mercy; certainly
liable to be arrested or worse, any time it should please M. du
Maine.

Soon after the Chancellor left the King, Madame de Main-
tenon 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 sacra-
ment without delay. P&re 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 Eohan, meanwhile, bringing the Holy Sacrament