Rome sauvée was first performed at the Comédie-Française on 24 February 1752. Lekain played the role of Cicéron twice between 1761 and 1762. In eleven other productions of the same play, he played Catilina instead.

This copy is not the performance text. It varies from first editions of the play, and with Lekain’s actor’s copy of the role of Catilina (CMV37509). The play was first performed at the Comédie-Française at the Jeu de Paume de l’Etoile on Thursday 24 February 1752.

Brutus was first performed at the Comédie-Française on 11 December 1730. Lekain first took on the role of Titus on 14 September 1750. He would perform the role 20 times between 1753 and 1770.

The play was first perfomred at the Comédie-Française on 24 February 1752. Lekain would act in the play 11 times. Between 1761 and 1762, he played the role of Cicero twice.

Other copies of this letter date it to 15 February 1748 instead.

The letter begins with a poem, ‘A monsieur le maréchal duc de Richelieu, à qui le sénat de Gènes avait érigé une statue’. This is written in a secretarial hand.

In a concluding prose section, added in his own hand, Voltaire notes that he imagines the recipient, Maréchal Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, will be invited to dine with the President in Paris upon his arrival as his glory means that he must lack nothing. Voltaire ends by saying he has just received Louis’ letter.