Algarotti begins by stating that it has been two months since he last heard from Vannucchi, adding that he is waiting for more sonnets from this great philosopher and poet. He then notes that he will be going to Potsdam the following day to meet with Frederick II of Prussia and present him with some of his verses as Frederick had stated that Vannucchi’s muse was ‘quasi celeste’. Algarotti then turns to Voltaire and Samuel Formey, remarking that the both share his enthusiasm for th translations of the Iliad produced by Paolo Brazzolo, before going on to discuss Frederick’s moods and literary interests. He ends with a mention of his friend, Scipione Maffei. In a postscript appended to the letter, Algarotti sends greetings from Voltaire and thanks Vannucchi for his learned essay on dreams and appatitions.

Voltaire begins by discussing the replacement of Thieriot with Baculard d’Arnaud, noting that d’Arnaud’s poor conduct has recently forced the king to drive him away. He quips that d’Arnaud’s wanderings ‘began with madness and ended with villainy.’ Expanding on this comment, Voltaire informs Thieriot that he began by arriving at court by coach, saying that he was a man of high status and that he had lost his titles of nobility and portraits of his mistresses with his nightcap. He notes that d’Arnaud had been recommended to the king as a man of talent and was given a pension of 5000 livres, a sum that d’Arnaud publicly decried, stating that it should be 5000 écus instead. Voltaire adds that d’Arnaud supped every day in Paris with the duc de Chartre and the prince de Conti and thought it fashionable to speak of the nation and finances with contempt. Following this, he swindled money from d’Argent and others, got involved with multiple calumnies, and, having become the ‘execration and contempt of everyone’, forced the King to dismiss him. Voltaire adds that he was vain enough to ask for his leave and after receiving it made Paris believe that he had not been able to accustom himself to the simplicity of the manners which reign in the court, claiming to have been a man of great birth and merit. Voltaire writes that d’Arnaud, when he saw the storm ready to burst upon him, sought to save himself by writing to Fréron, whom Voltaire describes as a scoundrel, and claiming that lines had been inserted against France in a preface he had written some eighteen months previous to an edition of Voltaire’s works. Voltaire notes that d’Arnaud had written this preface solely to obtain some money from him and that having left it to him signed by his own hand, Voltaire confirms that there was not a single word in it from which malignant intent could be deduced. Indeed, he adds that it was so badly written that he forbade its use for more than eight months. Voltaire notes that ‘perverts are strange people’ and that he hopes to ‘find the secret to silence this mastiff.’ He decries the ‘snakes that the ashes of Desfontaines have produced’ but acknowledges that whilst he does so he enjoys the favour and society of one of the greatest kings to have ever lived, a philosopher on the throne that despises even heroism, and who lives in Potsdam as Plato lived with his friends [Frederick II]. He adds that he has never seen so much grandeur and so little arrogance, and that Frederick’s suppers are always delicious and are accompanied by reason, and bold and free speech. Voltaire ends the letter by asking Thieriot to forgive any envy if Voltaire’s ‘extreme and unheard-of happiness’ makes him grind his teeth.

Voltaire writes that Marie-Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise Du Deffand’s memory and kindness give him many regrets, adding that he is like an enchanted knight reminded of their country in the Palace of Alcine. Voltaire then discusses his leaving Paris, noting that his life now is happy as he free to think, write, and say what he pleases in Potsdam. He adds that he is fortunate to eat strawberries, peaches, grapes, and pineapples in January. Voltaire then notes that he misses du Deffand, d’Alembert, and President Henaut, and asks du Deffand not to show this letter to anyone but the two aforementioned men. He briefly discusses the opinions of the Sorbonne towards Buffon.