Voltaire tells Bordes to put the little book that he has the honour of sending him in his library, adding that it is by Mathieu. He then asks how he can send this lady everything that will be said, and tell her it is time to talk, before going on to say that he was very happy with Mr le comte de Cogni as their are few people of his sort and age that are so kind and educated. He ends by saying that he, the poor patient, only has time to tell Bordes how much he loves him.

The writer commends the King for his unique achievements, highlighting his dual dedication to both military and poetic pursuits. The King is praised for founding a library dedicated to Latin and Greek literature, symbolically positioning it alongside his arsenal, thus bridging classical learning and martial prowess. The writer mentions Mr. Dalembert’s proposal to appoint Delile, a learned and virtuous scholar, as a librarian, suggesting this reflects the King’s commitment to correcting past wrongs. At eighty-four, the writer expresses a strong aversion to extreme unction and its practitioners, seeking solace and support from the King as a source of consolation.

Voltaire begins by saying that d’ Alembert has reassured him about the article for the Encyclopédie titled ‘Femme’. He then discusses the processes of creating such articles, questioning if there should be guidelines with regards length as d’ Alembert has complained of vague and methodless dissertations that several individuals have submitted to him. He asks why d’ Alembert did not issue authors with protocols regarding etymology, definitions, examples, reasons, clarity, and brevity stating that though he saw only a dozen articles, he could not find any of the above in them. Voltaire concludes, however, that such questioning wrongs d’ Alembert as there are bad soldiers in the army of a great general.

Voltaire then states that if he were in Paris, he would spend all his time in the king’s library so as to aid d’ Alembert in his Encyclopédie. He adds that he is interested in the work as it honours his homeland and is useful for the human race, but that he does not have access to any of the necessary books.

He then turns to the civil unrest in France and the civil wars of Germany, which he dubs sad and awful respectively. He notes that the next campaign will likely be a bloody one. Voltaire then mentions La Pucelle, noting that the ‘infamous’ edition afflicts him. He sends his and Madame Denis’ love, before concluding that the has received the entry for ‘Histoire’ and will return it in five days time.

Frederick II asks Maupertuis to send him a complete collection of all the editions of the works of Voltaire that have been printed in Paris, London, Holland and Geneva, adding that Thiériot can help him. Frederick acknowledges that he is asking for an entire library, but states simply that he wants to have it. He asks that Maupertuis have everything bound in morocco with gilded edges, and tells him to send him the account of the disbursement. In a postscript, Frederick asks if d’Argens has shown him a letter he wrote on Voltaire’s on latest work, the Nouveaux mélanges, adding that he thinks that it will be printed in the Mercure de France.

Voltaire writes that Chamfort has caught him at a moment when the sad state of his eyes leves him free to write. He notes that Chamfort speaks so well of his art that even if Voltaire had not seen such charming verses in la Jeune Indienne [a comedy written by Chamfort published on 30 April 1764, which Voltaire must have read in manuscript form] he would have been entitled to say that here is a young man who will write as they did a hundred years ago. Voltaire continues by saying that the nation only emerged from barbarism because there were three or four people who possessed genius and taste. Corneille, for example, wrote 200 verses, Boileau used an art unknown before him to put reason into verses, and Pascal and Bossuet changed the ‘welches’ into French. Voltaire notes, however, that de Chamfort seems convinced that the Crebillons and all those who have made tragedies as bad and verses as hard as his have changed French into welches. To this, he adds that the nation has taste by accident and so it is to be expected that a people who did not know the merit of Misatrope and Athalie will be ignorant and weak people who need to be led by the small number of enlightened men. He goes on to say that the likes of Freron do not fail to contribute to bringing back barbarism and misleading the tastes of young people who would reather read cheap books than buy more expensive good books, and who are often not in a condition to form a library. Voltaire quips that ‘loose leaves are the plague of literature.’ He concludes by saying that he looks forward to de Chamfort’s book as the subject is very touching and he knows how to successfully write touching verses.