The MS is in the hand of an unidentified copyist, and is incomplete. The copy contains three chapters in the following order: 33, 32, 31. These chapters concern religious matters (Calvinism, Jansenism, and ecclesiastical affairs), and their numbering corresponds to the first printed edition of the work (1751).

The letter includes a two-stanza poem that lauds the character and accomplishments of Frederick II of Prussia, notably omitting any mention of religious virtue. In the main body, Voltaire addresses a range of subjects, including immortality and religion, and concludes with critical remarks about Mustafa III, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The letter wraps up with an extensive array of greetings and well-wishes for the correspondent.

The manuscript is an exordium of Voltaire’s poem ‘La Religion naturelle’, comprised of four parts. It is a variant of the poem more commonly known as ‘Poème sur la loi naturelle’, with the incipit reading ‘Oh vous! Dont les exploits…’. In a letter of 22 March 1756 to the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha, Voltaire recalls that he completed his poem while staying at her château in Gotha in 1753. The poem explores the themes of happiness, morality, and natural laws. Most likely the poem is dedicated to the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha. The poem incurred the condemnation of the Parlement de Paris in early 1759, along with Helvétius’s De l’esprit and four other works (D8086, D8137, D8159). Voltaire’s reaction was bitter (D15618).

The manuscript is an autograph letter, written in the hand of Henri Jean Baptiste Fabry de Moncault. The letter expresses gratitude for Voltaire’s feedback on Le Pyrrhonien raisonnable, challenges the Judaic interpretations of The Bible, contests the myths surrounding Moses, and reflects on moral imperatives and religious maxims.

The manuscript is an autograph letter written in the hand of Du Buit and introducing Du st esprit, penned by the author’s father. The author reflects on different religious dogmas and the general principles characterising Catholicism, Protestantism, and animism (indigenous religions), advocates for the need to strip religion of Theological absurdities and argues for the Holy Spirit’s superiority over God. Additionally, Du st esprit accompanies the manuscript (iii.312–326).

The manuscript is an autograph letter, written in the hand of Morellet. It features the legislative debate surrounding the controversy of a Calvinist individual who sought burial according to Calvinist rites. Even though neither MS1 nor ED1 identify the writer, a prolonged collation of the indicia leaves little doubt that it was Morellet.

The earlier songs are of the “Mazarinade” variety, with a large portion of the later 17th-century examples directed against the court of young Louis XIV, presided over by Cardinal Mazarin. Later songs include satires on John Law and his disastrous speculation in the Mississippi project, on the religious cult of the Convulsionnaires in Paris, on the morality of the clergy and of the women of the Paris theatre, and one on Voltaire, condemned for his Lettres philosophiques.

The first item is an unidentified version of La religion chrétienne by Cesar Chesneau De Marsais which bears striking similarity to the version of the work published in 1767 by Compagnie des Libraires associes. The item is accompanied by a 10 page advertisement, but lacks the notes section found in the published edition. The second item is an extract taken from the works of the Catholic priest Jean Meslier of Étrépigny in Champagne. The third item is a version of L’esprit de Spinosa, written by Benedictus de Spinoza and published at the Hague in 1719. The work was reprinted in 1768 with the title Traité des trois imposteurs. The fourth item is a copy of Voltaire’s Sermon des cinquantes. The fifth item is a papal bull issued by Clement VII on 20 May 1543. Items 6-8 are unidentified.

The first item is attributed to Nicolas Fréret, by some believe it to be the result of a joint enterprise between Paul Henri Thiry, baron d’Holbach, J.A. Naigeon, and N. Lagrange. The version included in the manuscript is similar to the edition printed in 1720. The second item is similar to the definition of ‘philosophe’ included in the Encyclopedia, ou, Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métier published in Geneva in 1778. The item is dated 1757. The third item isa letter from Bernard Le Bovier Fontenelle to Charles-Auguste, marquis de La Fare.