The verse seems to have been composed during Voltaire’s stay at Cirey, likely in September/October 1734.

The manuscript is an autograph letter that attests to a more frequent future correspondence with Voltaire after his loss of two good friends, presumably mme de Feriol, who died on the 2nd, and Maisons, to whose death Voltaire refers in D1006. The letter carries the references to Chubb and Voltaire’s Métaphysique (Questions sur l’Encyclopédie). According to T. D. N. Besterman, Caussy was in the wrong when he suggested that the manuscript carries the phrase ‘On the back of MS1 is a copy of some verses by Bernard’.

The authors note that they have just arrived in Provins and will continue their story of their time in Cirey. They note that they went to bed at 7am, and were made to rise three hours later at 10am to sing an opera with Émilie du Châtelet. This lasted until 1pm, when they rehearsed Zaïre, and they note that they had rehearsed 37 acts the day before, with the first three acts being rehearsed after dinner. They rehearsed Zaïre until 6pm, and note that there were constant snags, then the ladies curled their hair and dressed in a Turkish style until 9:30pm at which point the performance began. The performance of Zaïre was followed by one of l’Esprit de contradiction, which lasted until 12:30pm. The party then sat together and ate supper, failing to notice that they were violating the rights of Ash Wednesday in doing so. Graffigny and Desmarest add that they left at 8am, having performed 44 acts in 48 hours.

They discuss the various plays performed over the weekend, and provide a cast list which reads as follows: Madame Du Châtelet (Zaïre), La Grosse (styled with a Fatime veil), Voltaire (Orosmane), Mr Du Châtelet (Nerestan), his son (Corasmin), Chatillon (paper in hand). They state that the recipient does not know the other members of the cast. Graffigny and Desmarest remark that Voltaire did not know his role, being unable to perform two lines in a row whilst dressed like a chienlit. Émilie Du Châtelet, meanwhile, they note, played everything soullessly and monotonously, enough so to make one vomit. Her husband, said not a verse without stuttering. They go on to explain Voltaire’s faults in more detail: whilst the tragedy provoked tears, Voltaire is said to have known little of his role, a defect which prompted him to be impatient and attack his valet who was acting as their prompter. He is also said to have spat in the face of one of the party with fury.

The letter then turns to Voltaire’s dispute with Desfontaines, before recounting two letters received by Voltaire concerning his writings. Madame de Graffigny notes that Voltaire is beginning to work on an opera for her about Les Titans, adding that he had read them some of his Samson which she describes as as beautiful as Joseph-François Duché de Vancy’s Iphigénie en Tauride (1704). Voltaire is likewise said to have read his apology of his Mondain in the bathing apartment of Émilie Du Châtelet whilst she bathed, a reading which also included a lavish meal served at 2am in the same room by her son who had disguised himself as Love because of the carnival.

König reports on his quarrel with Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, marquise Du Châtelet and, in the postscript, asks the recipient to maintain secrecy. From Spring to November 1739, König had taught du Châtelet at Cirey Castle. Madame de Graffigny described the affair in a letter to her lover shortly after König wrote this letter. She later went on to describe the relationship between Voltaire and du Châtelet in La vie privée de Voltaire et de Mme Châtelet.

Voltaire writes that he has just witnessed the death of a friend of twenty years who was very fond of Marie-Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise Du Deffand. He notes that the cause of death was childbirth, addinf that the little girl who had been born did not interest him. Voltaire then discusses his despair, adding that when he arrives in Paris from Cirey he hopes to meet with Deffand and discuss their deceased friend.

Voltaire writes that after leaving Paris in July he asked a young man named Delamare to give de Mairan the text on the driving forces that he had kindly lent Voltaire, adding that he does not know if the young man returned it to him. He adds that it would be happy for the young man if he had stolen it in order to learn but notes that it is a treasure that is not for his use. Voltaire writes that the day before his departure, he asked Mr Pitot if he had read the text and that he replied that he had not. From this, Voltaire concludes that in de Mairan’s academy the same thing happens as at assemblies of actors: everyone thinks only of their own role and they play is worse for it. He writes that he asked Pitot if he thought that the quantity of motion was the product of the mass by the square of the velocities and that Pitot had agreed, saying that Leibnitz and Bernoulli seemed convincing to him. However, Voltaire notes that shortly after his arrival at Cirey, Pitot sent him a letter claiming to have read de Mairan’s text, which he describes as a masterpiece, and noting that it had changed his mind on the matter. Voltaire then thanks de Mairan for the enlightenment and pleasure he gained from studying under his instruction, flattering de Mairan, and remarking that he greatly admires how de Mairan distinguishes accelerated movements which are like the square of speeds and times, from forces that are only due to speeds and times. He makes reference to three articles (Articles 22, 23, and 24) that he particularly admired.

Voltaire then asks de Mairan for his help on a problematic matter that has been occupying him for a few days. He states that it is an experiment contrary to the first foundations of catoptrics and notes that the foundation of the experiment is that one must see the object at the point of intersection of the cathetus and of the reflected ray but that his fundamental rule is, on many occasions, false. He provides a diagram to explain his findings, noting that he should see the object A at the point of intersection D but instead sees it at L, K, I, H, and G successively. He asks if this does not prove that we do not perceive distances by means of angles that are formed in our eyes, noting that he often sees the object as very close and large although the angle is small.

He ends the letter by saying that Taquet and Barrou have been unable to solve the problem he poses and asks if de Mairan would mind giving him his opinion. He adds that Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, marquise Du Châtelet is worthy of reading de Mairan’s work and finds that there is no one who is more made to give a taste of the truth than him. She has ordered Voltaire to assure de Mairan of his esteem and pays him he compliments.

Du Châtelet writes that she believes that they will be happy with Cirey as de Graffigny’s Newton awaits them, as well as two people who truly love them. She adds that they will be unhappy with Voltaire’s health and help her to persuade him to take care of himself and work less.

Voltaire discusses his comedy writing, particularly in relation to his ‘Moors’. He notes that he has received d’Argental’s draft of the third act and thanks him for ‘aiding the weaknesses’ of his imagination, though he begs him not to imitate the Italian actors. Voltaire then discusses fireworks, claiming that the use fireworks for the sake of it imitates the Italians, but to use them to explain a secret and unravel a plot seemed to be a good use of them. He then provides some critical remarks on act one, commenting on the plot and music, and noting areas where he feels he is not immitating anyone else. He adds that d’Argental felt that there were two themes to the act: tenderness and comedy. He counters d’Argental’s claims that the act is comedic, noting that the scene between the princess and her confidante is one of the ‘least bad’ of the whole work. Voltaire concludes by saying that the whole play will be a beautiful spectacle but that the prologue must be given to Rameau. He adds that he would rather discuss things in person but that that would mean either d’Argental travelling to Cirey or Voltaire travelling to Paris so large packages will have to do instead.