The variant appears in marginal notes on p.85 of a 1742 edition of the Œuvres melées published by Bousquet. The variant concerns verse 91.

There are variants at lines a, b, 2, 4, 11, 14, 19, 26, 30, 35-36.

The complete text is written on one side of the sheet. It contains all but one of the corrections stipulated by Voltaire in D9587 and D9597. There are variants at lines a, b, 2, 4, 11, 14, 19, 26, 30, and 35-36.

A note at the end of the MS suggests that the text was ‘copié sur l’imprimé de 15 pages in 12.’ An octavo edition of the text is not known, but it is possible that the copyist was referring to a small octavo version. This MS features several variants.

This MS appears to be an early copy of the poem, later revised by a second hand to align with the Louvain edition. More than 120 changes have been made to the text throughout.

The poem commences on the front pastedown, continues on the verso of the title page, and concludes on the back pastedown. The copy is incomplete and features several variants. The lines are divided as follows:

• Front pastedown: l.1-12
• Verso of title page: l.38-58
• Back pastedown: l.115-132

The copy contains several variants that align with the fourth print edition of the work. An additional variant in verse 261 appears to be a scribal error. The definitive has been adopted in verses 94 and 155.

The copy was made by Emmanuel Louis Henri Alexandre de Launai, comte d’Antraigues (1753-1812). Within the letter is a poem, ‘Ode sur la paix de 1736’. This copy of the poem contains several variants.

The MS includes a number of pre-1739 variants, along with a new reading of l.82 as ‘artistement orné’.

Lekain produced his copy of the role of Zamore when the play began at the Comédie-Française in 1750. Lekain performed the role 51 times between 1751 and 1775. The manuscript offers variants for Act II, l.3, 12, 17, 30, 66, 97, 111, 154, 168, 176, 194, 206, 226, 266, 274, 287, 288; Act III, l.84-85, 114, 247-250; Act IV, l.168-169; Act V, l.75, 162, 171, 202-204, and 256.