A note at the beginning of the commonplace book records that ‘The Collection was commenced at an early Age, and consequently in the first Pages many Things are inserted which might as well, and without any injury to the Book, have been omitted.’ There are headings used throughout, including: ‘Love’. ‘Mediocrity’, ‘Laugh’, ‘Deluge’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Sleep’, ‘Bees’, ‘East India Company’, ‘Gold’, ‘Women, ‘Wit and Humour’, and ‘Impeachment. Sources quoted in the commonplace book include Shakespeare, Addison, Burney, Pope, Johnson, and Rousseau. Much of the material was written during Owen’s time at Trinity College and so many of the quotations have a strong connection to Cambridge, including ‘Song Imitated from Voltaire by Mr Rough, Trin. Coll. Cant.’

M.F. Lomax asks questions about the nebuar hypothesis proposed in William Whewell’s Bridgwater treatise. He also enquires as to whether or not Sir Isaac Newton was a Unitarian, writing: ‘they see no difference between Newton and Voltaire and Laplace (not that they know any more than their names) and class them altogether as a set of clever learned infidels’.

The MS is written in the hand of Wagnière and was likely devised by Voltaire before being signed by Calas.

Voltaire writes that he has read Robert Smith’s book of optics, adding that he cannot be so mightily please with a book without loving the author of it. He adds that Smith follows Sir Isaac Newton closely in ‘the path of truth and glory’.

Voltaire writes that he has read Robert Smith’s book of optics, adding that he cannot be so mightily please with a book without loving the author of it. He adds that Smith follows Sir Isaac Newton closely in ‘the path of truth and glory’.