Voltaire acquired this manuscript from the chevalier de Maudave in 1760 and presented it to the Bibliothèque de roi (now the Bibliothèque nationale de France) in August 1761. The text is a commentary on the Vedas, though rather than being a precious authentic text as Voltaire imagined, it was composed by Jesuits in Pondicherry. He inscribed a title page (f.iir) outlining what he knew and believed about the manuscript and its history.

The text dates to 1759, with Voltaire adding to the manuscript in 1761.

This volume contains four items:

• f.[i] Notice sur le Zozur Bedo et sur sa traduction par Mr Court de Gebelin
• f.[ii] Title page in Voltaire’s hand: ‘L’Ezour-védam ou ancien commentaire du védam traduit de la langue du hanscrit par un Brame de Bénares correspondant de la compagnie des indes […]. This appears to have been written on a pre-existing blank page.
• f.1-29 [The commentary]
• f.30-33 Suite du Zozur Bedo

The author begins with a critical analysis of the tragic poets of the 17th and early 18th centuries, including: Corneille, Racine, Crébillon, Voltaire, Régnard, Le Grand, Baron, Dancourt, Dufresny, Marivaux, Destouches, La Chaussée, Fagan, Boissy, Saint- Foy, Piron, Gresset, the abbot of Voisnoy, Chateaubrun, La Nouë, Lafosse, Campiston, Lefranc, Lamotte, Quinaut, Boileau, Rousseau [Jean-Baptiste]. A special place is given to MOLIERE, “the first of the French poets”.

The inscription reads:

‘Le Jay fait remettre par le sieur Rosset, libraire à Lyon, une lepreuve de cette estampe a Voltaire, qui pour reponse lui fit tenir ces quatre vers.

Le jay vient de mettre Voltaire
Entre la Beaumelle et Fréron:
Ce serait vraiment une Calvaire,
S’il s’y trouvait un bon larron.’