The commonplace book features a number of Voltaire’s plays, including: f.1r, Guébres; f.2v, Le Triumvirat; f.3v, Alzire; f.5r, Les Lois de Minos; f.8v, Les Scythes; f.11r, Irène; f.12r, Oedipe; f.14v, Mariamne; f.16v, Le Mort de César; f.17v, Oreste; and f.21v, Adelaide du Guesclin.

Gries presents Goethe with a volume of his translation of Calderón and asks for his opinion on it. He then goes on to discuss printed tragedies, arguing that Eifersucht, das größte Scheusal could be considered a prototype of all modern tragedies of fate. He concludes by discussing the frequent editing of works undertaken by older poets, making reference to Voltaire’s Mariamne and Zaire, Calderón’s Mariamne, and Shakespeare’s Othello.