Letter from Voltaire to comte de Say, written from Ferney and dated 24 December 1770 [D16864]
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV36765
Repository:
Shelfmark:
5-240 (VII, f.170), ‘A M. le comte de Say, Ferney, 24 décembre 1770 (M. 8142)’
Title:
Letter from Voltaire to comte de Say, written from Ferney and dated 24 December 1770 [D16864]
Collection(s):
Related record(s):
No related manuscripts found.
Link to Archive Catalogue:
Link to Digital Resource:
OCLC Number:
Reproductions:
The Besterman Collection, Geneva
Content
People:
Incipit Diplomatic:
Je réponds fort tard, Mr, à la Lettre dont vous m’avez honoré du 1er Xbre.
Incipit Modernised:
Je réponds fort tard, Mr, à la Lettre dont vous m’avez honoré du 1er Xbre.
Language(s):
In Voltaire’s Hand:
No
Brief Summary:
Letter from Voltaire to comte de Say, written from château de Ferney and dated 24 December 1770.
Detailed Summary:
The writer apologises for the delay in replying to a letter, which he received late due to illness and the infirmities of age, noting his current health struggles at seventy-seven. He expresses concern that a letter from François de Voltaire might cause complications in the recipient’s household, potentially distressing his spouse. The writer laments the recent deaths of several notable figures and, as a gesture of goodwill, offers his own academic position to Mr de Pezai.
Keyword(s):
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Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
1 f.
Format:
Dimensions:
Hands:
1
Watermark:
Countermark:
Binding:
The manuscript is bound with other documents in contemporary red morocco.
Additional Comments:
Materiality Keywords:
Decorations:
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History
Date:
24 December 1770
Ownership:
After Voltaire’s death, the MS passed into the ownership of Catherine II and remained in the imperial and then national collection thereafter.
Origin (transcript):
Origin:
Provenance:
This MS was probably taken to St Petersburg by Wagnière in the summer of 1779 along with the rest of Voltaire’s library.
Bibliography
Bibliography:
Fernand Caussy, Inventaire des manuscrits de la bibliothèque de Voltaire conservée à la bibliothèque impériale publique de Saint-Pétersbourg (Geneva, Slatkine reprints, 1970)
OCV Reference:
vol.121, p.160–161
OCV Manuscript Reference:
vol.121, ‘MS1’, p.161
Record created by:
Record created on: