Voltaire discusses the article ‘Mânne’ for the Encyclopédie. He notes that the article seems quite good to him, and that the philosophs and the curious can be happy with it. Voltaire notes, however, that a good apothecary would have said more and demonstrated the superiority of ‘mânne grasse’ over ‘mânne maigre’.

He then goes on to say that he is very happy to be in Lausanne when d’Alemberts theologian is in Geneva. He remarks upon d’Alembert’s saying that he might see the lake again this winter, noting that he should come and bring Diderot with him so that they may play his Les Fils naturel.

Voltaire ends by asking d’Alembert to tell Madame Du Deffand that he is thinking of her even though he does not write, and to pass on his compliments to President Henault.

The manuscript is a lettre en vers, accommodating four poems. The letter reflects on medical care and creative pursuits, alluding to Molière’s literary engagement with doctors and medicine, citing the previous correspondence between Voltaire and d’Aquin and supplying informal medical guidance to Voltaire.

Cabanis sends a report on the state in which he found Josephe Decroze on 31 December 1760. He notes that he found Decroze in bed, feverish and sluggish, with three considerable wounds to the head and several other wounds to his bones. Cabanis adds that the patient complained of severe pains and has not improved for bloodlettings. He goes on to say that he ordered the necessary remedies, but that the patient appeared to him to be in a great state of danger. Cabanis warned the parents of their son’s critical condition and offers to provide Voltaire with further details should the injuries prove fatal.

The recueil consists of poetry, essays relating to the history of chemistry, and recipes for chemical and medicinal preparations. The collection contains the works of several authors, including Voltaire. His Épître à Uranie can be found on p.51-57.

Compilation of remedies for a range of complaints along with scattered culinary and household recipes and notes on dietetics and epidemiology. These are interspersed with digressions on trade and other subjects; excerpts from Voltaire’s Letters concerning the English Nation, Decker’s Essay on the Causes of the Decline of the Foreign Trade, Baron von Pöllnitz’s Mémoires, and Brookes’s General Practice of Physic; items copied from the English press; and miscellaneous economic and demographic statistics. The manuscript ends with a Liste des Pairs Catholiques Romains dans l’Angleterre followed by random partly personal notes: “The English Benedictine I knew at ye English convent in Paris, rue de S. Jacques, is nam’d Placid Naylor. The Prior’s name was Walmsby, a very learned Mathematician . . . My Schoolfellow Mr. Hubbock is Rector of ye Holy Trinity in Dorchester” [etc.].

Topics include modern theology and philosophy; natural history; antiquarian discoveries and definitions, local history and folklore; travels and voyages; medicine; and music. There are many lengthy musical entries, including a detailed description of the 1783 Grand Jubilee Handel concert and a discussion of early musical notation systems. Identified authors quoted include Bishop Tillotson; Voltaire; Rousseau; Linnaeus; Bougainville; William Stukeley; and William Godwin.

The collection consists of anecdotes and verses, both original and excerpted from various authors, including: biographical anecdotes on Alexander the Great, Voltaire, Sir Walter Raleigh, Philip of Macedon, Socrates, British sailors, Turks, Russians, American Indians, and other individuals and groups; epistolary poetry and extracts from letters, most of which are signed William Thomspon; one letter from a British soldier at the Battle of Bunker Hill to his wife in England; elegiac and farewell poems; poems on nature, plants, and animals; hymns and prayers; religious and moral poems and fables; from speeches, and from religious texts, lectures, and sermons; recipes for burn and lip ointments, stain remover, flea repellent, and other home remedies. Excerpts attributed to Rousseau, Cowper, Goldsmith, and others. Indexed by category.

Thomas Robinson notes that he received Fritz’s letters numbered 61, 69 and 72, adding that post is frequently delayed on its way to Lisbon. He then states that he is glad Fritz received his letter numbered 34 which they thought had been lost. He says that Pozzi’s book is a compilation of advice for the education of novices, almost all of which is stolen from the likes of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Bilfield. Robinson then notes that he was sorry to hear that Mr. Parker’s illness (‘gravel’: kidney stones) is so severe, adding that Waddilove, fearing a return of the complaint, drank tea and honey yesterday and took multiple baths, whilst Grantham will bring, when he can, some Uva Ursi. Robinson next discusses some plays that he has seen, and expresses his surprise at Fritz not having been to the ‘Westminster Play’. The letter concludes with a series of domestic concerns, including news of visiting acquaintances, the sending of a pattern for a satin gown, and financial concerns.