Schiller writes that he had suspected that Goethe was translating Voltaire’s “Tancred”, which was certainly very beneficial to the theatrical purpose. Nevertheless, he adds that he sincerely hopes that “Faust” will replace it. Schiller then goes on to say that there are great difficulties to overcome with the scheme for La Pucelle d’Orleans, adding that what bothers him about the piece is that it cannot be divided into a few large sections, making it necessary to dare to reinvent the form for a new subject and always keep the concept of genre flexible. He concludes by saying that if he does not go to Lauchstädt, he will withdraw to Ettersburg for a while to work.

Knebel sends Goethe a copy of de Staël’s Réflexions sur le suicide and notes that he has received from Duchess Luise a copy of M.H. Lichtenstein’s Travel in South Africa. He goes on to mention a variety of literary figures and pieces including: Voltaire, the Marquise Du Deffand, Ariosto’s Orlando furioso and the Pentateuch. He concludes by offering news of their friends.

Byron discusses various literary works and corrects a series of errors he feels Goethe has made, adding that he regrets if Goethe is upset by the hasty and unjust judgements of English critics, about which he notes that he himself complained. He then offers his appreciation of Goethe’s works, and mentions Voltaire, Alexander Pope, and Jonathan Swift.

Karl Ernst Schubarth speaks of the joy that Goethe’s last letter brought him as he is lonely in his current situation. He mentions a number of literary figures and their works including Faust, Homer, A. Müllner, Calderón, Shakespeare, and Lessing. He then turns to Christianity and the New Testament, making reference to H.E.G. Paulus, Raphael, Pindar, Muhammad, and Voltaire.

Knebel begins by saying that he regrets Goethe’s discomfort, and encourages him to continue to think positively about Lukrez. He adds that Lucretius was a reformer whose teaching is not as dangerous as is often believed, noting that Voltaire considered the places of the complete dissolution of man after death to be the most effective in Lucretius’ De rerum natura. He concludes by discussing mutual friends, and the expectation of an imminent earthquake following the flood of the Saale.

Katharina talks of the Frankfurt accident, and the French occupation of the city. She talks of the burning of the Judengasse, and reports on the state of the roads and their former home, Frieburger gaße which was also burned down. The situation is, she notes, fatal and threatening. She concludes by saying that almost all of her friends have emigrated so she is usually at home, playing the piano or reading. She notes that she is especially enjoying Voltaire’s Essai sur les mœeurs et l’esprit des nations.

Schiller begins by speaking of the baptism of his daughter, Karoline, before turning to Goethe’s adaptation of Voltaire’s Mahomet. He notes that of the French pieces, Mahomet is the best suited for a German translation, and that whilst he believes in the project he is hesitant to attempt the same with other French pieces due to their content and the formal difficulties that arise.

Schlegel thanks Goethe for sending him sonnets by Guarini which he says remind him of Petrarch. He adds that he is reading de Parny’s La guerre desieux anciens et modernes in comparison with Voltaire’s La Pucelle d’Orleans. He goes on to discuss literary and theatrical works.

Karl August says that he will send him his manuscript of Mahomet that day, along with the French original which belongs to the Duchess Luise. He then concludes the letter with a discussion of experiments performed unsuccessfully with coal.

Knebel reflects on troubled times and concludes that he thinks he will be spared from the wild hoards for a while. He notes that he usually only reads serious history now, before turning to the politics of Jena and Bavaria. Knebel then turns to an engraved imprint of some strange manuscripts which appeared in the MBI (No. 44) as a supplement to the display of E. Hocquart titled, ‘L’art de juger du caractère des hommes sur les écriture’. Amongst these strange writings were manuscripts by Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Elizabeth I of England. A copy of the work mentioned, along with reproductions of the “strange” manuscripts may be found here: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k58163641