Frederick remarks upon how busy he is, claiming that many matters require his attention at present. He goes on to note that he will no longer be shocked after what he has witnessed during this monstrous century, writing that his books from Berlin are his only consolation. Frederick then mentions the works he has been reading, notably Charles Batteux’s Les Beaux-arts réduites à un même principe (1746), before discussing a series of literary figures including Nicolas Boileau, Virgil, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jean Racine, Homer, Pierre Corneille, Joseph de La Grange Chancel, Claude-Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, and Voltaire.

Voltaire begins by saying that his body is sick, but that his soul is well becuase it is full of the recipient. He adds that he does not know where de La Marche is, or if his daughter is with him. He then apologises for the large paquet he sent de La Marche concerning fetishes, and reminds him that the big Corneille is more precious to him than the little President de Brosses. Voltaire reminds de La Marche that he had asked him to let him know if his egraver could undertake a dozen prints, before concluding by saying that de La Marche has awakened his old passion for him and thus implores de La Marche to write to him.

Extracts within the collection include: Voltaire (Merope, Zaire, Alzire, Rome saved, Orestes, Sémiramis), Racine (Andromaque, Britannicus, Bérénice, Bajazet, Mithridates), Corneille (Le Cid, Horace, Polyeucte, Rodogune, Pulchérie), Gresset (Édouard III) , Chateaubrun (Philoctetes), etc., with some comments in the margins: “Noble despair, Tyranny, Cruel politics, Maternal tenderness”, etc.

The manuscript is a lettre en vers in the hand of Paul Desforges-Maillard, featuring seven poems. The author, praising Voltaire’s formidable superiority of intellect and character, implicitly urges his addressee to help him secure employment. The letter cites and refers to De rerum natura by Lucretius and Œdipe by Corneille.

The manuscript is lettre en vers, containing three poems interspersed with prose passages. The author expresses gratitude for receiving a copy of Voltaire’s Corneille, overtly criticises Fréron, mentions M. Panckoucke’s republication of Romans philosophiques, and elaborately discusses the latest performance of Cromwell, written by Antoine Maillet Du Clairon. The letter features two short poems exploring the persona’s perceived insignificance and purported lack of talent.

The manuscript, an autograph letter, is a panegyric about Voltaire written in verse and comprised of four stanzas. The poem equates Voltaire with Virgil, Torquato Tasso, and Homer, and deems Voltaire entitled to Corneille’s laurel crown.

Voltaire discusses Molière and Shakespeare. Voltaire writes that everything that de Champfort has written about Molière is worthy of him and the fine century in which he lived. He notes that de Champfort has rightly shown the injustices that were shown towards this ‘philosopher of the theatre’ and that de Champfort has skilfully passed over the obstinancy with which a débauché refused to bury a wise man. He adds that Archbishop Chamvalon dies soon after Molière and was buried pompously to the sound of bells and with beautiful ceremonies but that Louis XIV had great difficulty in preventing Molière’s body being thrown in the garbage. He notes that there was a comparable English scenario a hundred years before whereby the English constructed a magnificent monument in Stratford to Shakespeare, who Voltaire denigrates as being incomparable to Molière in both art and manners. He says that games in honour of Shakespeare have just been established in England and celebrated with extreme magnificence, with there being tables to seat a thousand people. Voltaire complains that genius is not encouraged in France with such profusion, noting that those that have sought to enlighten France have been greeted with persecution. He makes brief mention of Martin Fréron and Pierre Corneille before thanking de Champfort for sending him his work and concluding that it deserved the prize it had won. The letter is addressed to Mr. Renard, bookseller at the palace, for him to give to de Champfort.