his own son, he immured himself in his Castle of Plessis, intrusting
his person exclusively to the doubtful faith of his Scottish
mercenaries. He never stirred from his chamber; he admitted no one
into it, and wearied heaven and every saint with prayers, not for
forgiveness of his sins, but for the prolongation of his life. With
a poverty of spirit totally inconsistent with his shrewd worldly
sagacity, he importuned his physicians until they insulted
as well as plundered him. .

It was not the least singular circumstance of this course, that
bodily health and terrestrial felicity seemed to be his only object.
Making any mention of his sins when talking on the state of his
health, was strictly prohibited; and when at his command a priest
recited a prayer to Saint Eutropius in which he recommended the
King's welfare both in body and soul, Louis caused the two last
words to be omitted, saying it was not prudent to importune the
blessed saint by too many requests at once. Perhaps he thought by
being silent on his crimes he might suffer them to pass out of the
recollection of the celestial patrons, whose aid he invoked for
his body.

So great were the well merited tortures of this tyrant's deathbed,
that Philip de Comines enters into a regular comparison between
them and the numerous cruelties inflicted on others by his order;
and considering both, comes to express an opinion that the worldly
pangs and agony suffered by Louis were such as might compensate the
crimes he had committed, and that, after a reasonable quarantine
in purgatory, he might in mercy he found duly qualified for the
superior regions ... The instructive but appalling scene of this
tyrant's sufferings was at length closed by death, 30th August,