Fréron seeks to humiliate the critic Jean-Francois de La Harpe who had attacked his recently deceased father, Elie Fréron. He recounts a dinner at the house of Mr. Dorat during which his father was ridiculed, and speaks of his hopes that the recipient can offer a contradictory account. He notes that he has heard from Mr. de La Harpe that they were discussing Voltaire and the unworthy treatment he received from Fréron in the style of his writing. Louis-Marie questions if the recipient ever remembers seeing his father baffled by a philosophy schoolboy, and asks if it was in his father’s character to say: ‘ah, il écrira et Dieu nous verrons’.

Voltaire thanks de Crassier for the partridges and asks him to do him the honour of coming to Ferney to eat them with him. He adds that the household will work hard to finish the Château so that they might receive de Crassier there. Voltaire concludes the letter by noting that he had, at first, only thought to invite six gentlemen who were done an injustice, but adds that since he has the honour of knowing de Crassier it is him that he will serve.

Voltaire writes that only his old age and languid state could have prevented him from coming to pay court to de Sauvigny and Madame de Sauvigny. He invites them to dine with himself and Marie-Louis Denis [née Mignot] [née Mignot] at their ‘hovel’ at Ferney. He adds that his is distressed to hear of Madame de Sauvigny’s indisposition and hopes that it will not have consequences serious enough to deprive him of their company for dinner. Voltaire ends by saying that he expects them tomorrow at two o’clock.