The manuscript is a 19-line poem about the priest Desfontaine’s homosexuality, its historical impermissibility, and punitive measures. The manuscript does not replicate the entire poem, excluding the prefatory lines that read ‘L’abbe Desfontaines et le ramoneur, ou le ramoneur et l’abbé / Desfontaines, conte par feu m. de la Faye.’ According to T. D. N. Besterman, ‘despite m. de la Faye being named as the author, the poem ‘ is of course by Voltaire himself’. Furthermore; the poem is a fragment of D1514 that discusses the wedding of Marie Elisabeth Mignot, Voltaire’s younger niece, as well as an influential book by Maupertuis (perhaps La Figure de la Terre, déterminée par les Observations de Messieurs Maupertuis, Clairaut, Camus, Le Monnier & de M. l’Abbé Outhier, accompagnés de M. Celsius) and the faulty edition of Eléments de Newton.

Voltaire promises his continued support for François-Thomas-Marie de Baculard d’Arnaud, and sends a copy of his Eléments de la philosophie de Newton printed in Amsterdam in 1738.

Voltaire asks that Prault follows his instructions exactly, and adds that Mr Woodman of London should be informed that the book will only sell if it is corrected. Voltaire then discusses various writings sent to him by Prault, asking that he not be listed as the author of three epistles that have been attributed to him, and insisting that Mr de la Roque and Mr Abbé Provost are employed as publishers. He then asks for a copies of various works, adding that Émilie du Châtelet would send her own list of requests in due course. Voltaire ends by discussing an erronous correction he had made to his Eléments de la philosophie de Newton, and asks that this be retracted.

Anne Antoinette Françoise de Champbonin writes that she takes great interest in the things that Prault wrote about her. She asks that he sends her a copy of Mr Salmon’s approval, and notes that she found in Voltaire a great desire to please Prault and a strong sense of friendship. She contradicts any claims that Voltaire is not a friend to Prault, and discusses the books that Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet had asked Tieriot to acquire. She ends by asking what Voltaire’s recent printed work is about.