De Missy begins by saying that he was in a bad mood, and that bad moods make it difficult to talk with the people one loves in a way that pleases him. He notes that he was about to end his letter abruptly when his eyes fell on a passage in Voltaire’s last letter that made him laugh. He then turns to freedom of conscience and notes that he and Voltaire have very different views on that topic. De Missy ends with a Latin quote: Petimusque damusque vicissim (we ask and we give in turn).