a polite excuse invented by the
queen my mother, who, approaching the king, said out loud that she had no
idea he would make the admiral talk so much, and that she saw quite well
that his physicians and surgeons considered it bad for him, as it
certainly was very dangerous, and enough to throw him into a fever, which
was, above everything, to be guarded against. She begged the king to put
off the rest of their conversation to another time, when the admiral was
better. This vexed the king mightily, for he was very anxious to hear
the remainder of what the admiral had to say to him. However, he being
unable to gainsay so specious an argument, we got the king away. And
incontinently the queen-mother (and I too) begged the king to let us know
the secret conversation which the admiral had held with him, and in which
he had been unwilling that we should be participators; which the king
refused several times to do. But finding himself importuned and hard
pressed by us, he told us abruptly and with displeasure, swearing by
God's death that what the admiral said was true, that kings realized
themselves as such in France only in so far as they had the 'power of
doing harm or good to their subjects and servants, and that this power
and management of affairs had slipped imperceptibly into the hands of the
queen my mother and mine.' 'This superintendent domination, the admiral
told me, might some day be very prejudicial to me and to all my kingdom,
and that I should hold it in suspicion and beware of it; of which he was
anxious to warn me, as one of my best and most faithful subjects, before
he died. There, God's death, as you wish to know, is what the admiral
said to me.' This, said as it was with passion and fury, went straight
home to our hearts, which we concealed as best we might, both of us,
however, defending ourselves in the matter. We continued this
conversation all the way from the admiral's quarters to the Louvre,
where, having left the king in his room, we retired to that of the queen
my mother, who was piqued and hurt to the utmost degree at this language
used by the admiral to the king, as well as at the credence which the
king seemed to accord to it, and was fearful lest it should bring about
some change and alteration in our affairs and in the management of the
state. Being unable to resolve upon any course at the moment, we
retired, putting off the question till the morrow, when I went to see my
mother, who