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):
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 responding to a letter received late due to illness and old age, noting their current health issues at 77 years old. They express concern that a letter from François de Voltaire might cause complications in the recipient’s household, potentially troubling their spouse. The writer mourns the recent deaths of several notable individuals and offers their own academic position to Mr de Pezai as a gesture of goodwill. They conclude by acknowledging the honour bestowed upon them and advising the recipient to enjoy life, as they themselves are near the end and not greatly troubled by it.
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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:
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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:
121, p. 160–161
OCV Manuscript Reference:
121, ‘MS1’, p. 161
Record created by:
Record created on: