The compilation includes the following texts: Anonymous, Vie de Moyse; Notice et fragmens de cinquante évangiles; Évangile de la naissance de Marie; Protévangile attribué à Jacques surnommé le Juste, frère du Seigneur; Évangile de l’enfance du Christ; Évangile de l’enfance; Évangile du disciple Nicodème; Deux lettres de Pilate à l’empereur Tibère; Relation du gouverneur Pilate touchant Jesus-Christ Notre Seigneur, envoyée à l’empereur Tibère qui était à Rome; Extrait de Jean d’Antioche; Relation de Marcel, des choses merveilleusses et des actes des bienheureux apôtres Pierre & Paul, et des artes magiques de Simon le magicien; Le dîner du comte de Boulainvilliers; Sur les imposteurs en général. The main section, consisting of eleven pieces, is said to have been compiled by Voltaire. Ten of these texts were published as Cellection d’anciens évangiles in London/Amsterdam, 1769, whilst Voltaire’s Le dîner du comte de Boulainvilliers was published in 1767. They have all been copied in the same, neat hand. Two different hands have added the remaining texts to the beginning and ending of the supposed Voltaire collection.

The poem compares Voltaire to the first man, Adam.

The collection consists of anecdotes and verses, both original and excerpted from various authors, including: biographical anecdotes on Alexander the Great, Voltaire, Sir Walter Raleigh, Philip of Macedon, Socrates, British sailors, Turks, Russians, American Indians, and other individuals and groups; epistolary poetry and extracts from letters, most of which are signed William Thomspon; one letter from a British soldier at the Battle of Bunker Hill to his wife in England; elegiac and farewell poems; poems on nature, plants, and animals; hymns and prayers; religious and moral poems and fables; from speeches, and from religious texts, lectures, and sermons; recipes for burn and lip ointments, stain remover, flea repellent, and other home remedies. Excerpts attributed to Rousseau, Cowper, Goldsmith, and others. Indexed by category.

Voltaire states that he is writing to Marie-Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise Du Deffand from Paris, before discussing literature. He questions why the Marquise wants to make him read English novels, such as Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, when she will not read the Old Testament. He tells the Marquise that if she is to enjoy reading, she first needs a little passion, an object that is interesting, and a determined desire to educate herself that occupies her soul continuously, adding that if she were to know Italian she could be sure of a month of pleasure from Aristotle. Voltaire says that he will send her one or two chants of La pucelle d’Orleans that are unknown to others and in which he tries to imitate Aristotle (he claims to have limited success in this). He also advises that she may enjoy his Histoire universelle if she likes a picture of ‘this ugly world’ because in it he has painted men as they are. Voltaire then turns to various European empire-building projects, before stating that France’s only merit and superiority is that there are a small number of geniuses who make French spoken in Vienna, Stokholm, and Moscow. He returns to the Marquise’s reading, stating that he he found pleasure in reading Rabelais but that the Marquise was not learned enough to enjoy it. He expresses his desires for French translations of the philosophical works of Lord Bolingbroke and Dean Swift’s Tale of a Tub, before discussing various retellings of the story of Lucretia.  

The letter begins with and extract from d’Alembert’s entry on Geneva describing Hell. In the extract, d’Alembert writes that Hell is no longer given such importance by several ministers in Geneva because they claim that it would be an insult to the Divinity if we imagine that God, being full of goodness and justice, could be capable of punishing our offences with eternal torments. These ministers, d’Alembert claims, explain as best they can the passages in the Bible that are directly contrary to their opinion and claim that in the Holy Scriptures nothing should be taken literally if it seems to go against humanity and reason. He concludes by writing that these ministers will only believe in punishment in the afterlife that is temporary, i.e. Purgatory (a matter that had divided the Protestant and Catholic faiths), noting that this is another item to add to the history of human contradictions. Voltaire then comments on this text, writing that it is the main article that Geneva is watching. He adds that it is a little stiff and that the reception of it is mixed but that d’Alembert just has to laugh because the people of Geneva are happy and everyone must be. Voltaire notes that they will no longer fight for ‘Omousios’, or consubstantiality, because the fashion has passed. He ends by saying that all that must be done is to eat bread in the shade of a fig tree while elsewhere you slaughter for the interests of two or three princes.

This lengthy letter discusses certain figures in Russia’s leadership. Von Bassewitz talks about Peter the Third’s reign and that he may “incur a new war”, but luckily the war should be short and peace will reign shortly after. The letter then goes on to talk about a manuscript of the life of Alexis of Russia, and quotes directly from the manuscript. The quoted passage from the manuscript paints a picture of the child Alexis, who was neglected and given governors to care for him so that he would behave himself. Once he was given a good governor/ teacher, his genius began to show that he could speak, write, and draw very well. By 1705, he had read the Bible 5 times in Slavonian, one time in Luther’s German version, and the works of several Greek fathers. Then Von Bassewitz mentions some manuscripts regarding Peter the Great, who was the son of Alexis. The letter is signed “Your very humble and very obedient servant.” The letter has been misdated in the University of Southern California’s catalogue and should instead be dated 9 March 1762.