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.

Gries presents Goethe with a volume of his translation of Calderón and asks for his opinion on it. He then goes on to discuss printed tragedies, arguing that Eifersucht, das größte Scheusal could be considered a prototype of all modern tragedies of fate. He concludes by discussing the frequent editing of works undertaken by older poets, making reference to Voltaire’s Mariamne and Zaire, Calderón’s Mariamne, and Shakespeare’s Othello.

Reinhard apologies for his delayed response and thanks Goethe for sending some of his writings. He praises Goethe’s biography and talks of having devoured it, before reflecting on the past. He suggests that today’s youth have it harder in the face of the destroyed values, if they want to settle at home on the barrier-free realm full of rubble, on desecrated ground. Reinhard goes on to speak of his literary studies in youth, noting that he read Voltaire’s writings as well as the excerpt from the general world history; his mother forbade him to read novels and other “bad” books. He then turns to German readers, who for some time, he remarks, have become such a shasty, grumpy, attitudeless and shapeless monster. He goes on to discuss literary and political matters, and especially about the growing tensions between England and France.

Reinhard begins by discussing the carnival at the Kessel court, before discussing Goethe’s chande to his coat of arms, remarking that he only owns the knight’s patent and not the baron title. He goes on to discuss his appointment as an honorary member of the Athéné de la Langue Française in Paris, and speaks of his answer with an allusion to Voltaire’s Candide.

In the section of the letter dated 23 February, Jacobi talks about his rejection of Schelling’s speech, quoting a line from Voltaire’s poetry: ‘Tous les goûts sont pour moi respectables’. He discusses the philosophies of Platonism and Spinozism, before discussing news of their mutual acquaintances.

Prince August expresses his joy at learning of Goethe’s improved health and thanks Goethe for the fragments of Rameaus Neffen that he sent. He suggests that Goethe translate Voltaire’s Le pauvre diable as there are no poems of this genre in Germany.

Von Knebel thanks Goethe for his gift and praises his writing, noting that in both Mahomet and Tancred, the poetic gait and expression if much stronger than in Voltaire’s originals. He then discusses their mutual friends before returning to Goethe’s literary works.

Falk notes that he is sending Goethe his play, Amphitruon, before writing in depth about the nature of drama, comedy, and tragedy. He discusses ways to produce dramatic material that is rich and productive enough to fill five acts, saying that the English use the trick of the double plot, whilst the French (such as Voltaire) use verbiage and rhetoric. The Greeks, he adds, use images, metaphors, and lyrical chants. He concludes by comparing modern and acient theatre.

August praises Schiller’s Jungfrau von Orleans, which he believes has defeated Voltaire’s La Pucelle d’Orleans.

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.