Georg von Löw writes that he is sending Budé another set of works by Voltaire, adding that he regrets that General Grenville has been unable to pay Löw’s debt to Budé for him.

In total, Georg von Löw notes that £6 2s 8d has been spent on acquiring copies of Voltaire’s works and a lamp.

Voltaire writes that if de Beaumont goes to the trouble of coming to Voltaire’s house, he will find 500 gold louis, adding that François Louis Bontems will pay Voltaire what he owes him at the end of the month.

Voltaire writes that he does not mind if Jean-Benjamin François de la Borde sends the 20,000 livres to de Beaumont or if he holds them in Paris. He encourages de Beaumont to write to Jean-Benjamin François de la Borde, stating that this correspondance could be useful.

Voltaire asks de Beaumont to have ready 20,000 francs for Jean-Benjamin François de la Borde. He adds that he will send a bill of exchange for this amount, and that he hopes to send a more considerable amount in August.

Voltaire asks if de Beaumont can charge himself with 12000 livres for six months. He adds that it will be available the moment de Beaumont wants it.

The document confirms that de Beaumont paid Voltaire 3000 ₶‎. Voltaire had annotated the document with a note saying that he received the interest from de Beaumont on 30 September 1766.

Voltaire writes that he is very angry with Jacob Bouthillier de Beaumont as he invited Emmanuel Bernoulli to dinner instead of him. He then discusses money, saying that he accepts de Beaumont’s proposal. He writes that de Beaumont can keep 15,000 livres but should send Voltaire ten ‘louis légers’ and an additional 291 livres tournoi. Voltaire ends by saying that when he needs money he will ask de Beaumont for it.

Voltaire writes that he has received d’Alembert’s letter dated 1 December and thanks him for his excellent work honouring the memory of du Marsais. He adds that he can never thank him enough for backing him up with his eloquence and reasoning as they say he did about the infamous murder of Servetus and the virute of tolerance in the Geneva article (which Voltaire notes he eagerly awaits). Voltaire then writes that wretches have tried to justify the assassination of Servetus and that these wretches are priests, though he admits that he has not read any of their works. One of these priests, whom Voltaire calls a rascal, asked the Council of Twenty-Five of Geneva for communication of the trial which, Voltaire writes, ‘will make Calvin forever execrable’ and the boarded viewed with contempt. He then asks d’Alembert who the other young priest is that wants to pass him off as a loan shark, questioning whether d’Alembert borrowed at usury from the Battle of Kollin, noting that d’Alembert had condessed that at the battle of the 5th everyone had to advance him money. Discussion then turns to war and Voltaire writes that the Austrians avenge and humiliate them terribly, noting that they have made thirteen attacks at the same time on the Prussian intrenchments, and that these attacks lasted six hours. He writes that ‘never was a victory more bloody and more horribly beautiful’, quipping that the French are more expeditious, completing their business in 5 minutes. Voltaire then discusses Frederick II, King of Prussia, remarking that Frederick always sends him verses, sometimes in despair and sometimes as a hero, and that he tries to be ‘a philosopher in my hermitage’ upon receiving them. He adds that Frederick achieved what he always wanted (to beat the French) but that the Austrians laugh at him. ‘Our shame of the 5 gave him glory’, Voltaire writes, ‘but he will have to be content with this passing glory, too easily purchased. He will lose his states with those he has taken.’ In response to d’Alembert’s suggestion that Voltaire writes a biography of Frederick II, Voltaire writes that Frederick will allow noone to write his story except for himself. Concluding the letter, Voltaire writes that there are aspects of the eulogy of du Marsais that will do great good as ‘it only takes five or six philosophers who agree to overthrow the colossus.’ He adds that he does not wish to prevent people from going to mass or hearing sermons but that it is ‘a question of snatching the fathers of families from the tyranny of imposters, and of inspiring the spirit of tolerance,’ noting that the ‘vine of truth’ has already been well cultivated by d’Alembert, Diderot, Bolingbroke, David Hume, etc. He ends by sending d’Alembert the good wishes of Marie-Louis Denis [née Mignot] [née Mignot] and asking if her ever sees the blind clairvoyant, charging d’Alembert with informing the clairvoyant that Voltaire is still very attached to her if so.

Voltaire writes that Prault’s plan to publish a collection of his ‘weak works’ redoubles his determination to correct them, adding that he has retouched the Henriade and will also rework his other tragedies. He asks that Prault sends him three copies of Brutus, three of Oedipus, and the corrected copy of Oedipus that Prault must have as he intends to send them to the actors. Voltaire then writes that he would like all copies of the prodigal son printed by Prault to be burned as he wants to correct them. He notes that he owes Prault money, and discusses financial investments. Voltaire ends by telling Prault that he should answer or else Voltaire would disown him.