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.

The manuscript offers variants of Act IV, l.166a-182 and Act V, l.53-68. It is the only known original manuscript of Alzire to have survived. The variant for Act V is written in the left-hand margin of f.1r in Voltaire’s hand.

The fragment is inscribed ‘Au Roi de Prusse… 174…’ and is numbered ’13’. It represents a truncated version of the text, with the fragment beginning at l.243 of Act IV. This copy also contains several variants:

• Séide’s discovery that he is Zopire’s son at ll.229-231 is phrased differently
• ‘les mortels’ is used instead of ‘les humains’ at l.245
• The end of Scene V is missing
• Phanor makes his entrance immediately after Séide’s attempt to kill himself (ll.247-249), meaning that he appears after Séide discovers his identity. This suggests that another character reveals this information in this version of the play

On the verso side of the fragment, Voltaire has drafted a letter to Frederick II of Prussia dating to 10 July 1740 [D2265 / CMV35110].

The second leaf of this copy is in a different hand to the rest of the MS, suggesting that it may have been taken from another MS copy. The list of ‘Acteurs’ has been annotated by Lekain with the names of the actors who took part in the later 1765 production of the play. There are also several variants throughout the MS that demonstrate the play’s development between 1734 and 1765, with their place within the text being clearly marked. It is likely that the copy was used by the Comédie-Française and its actors, including Lekain.

The copy forms part of a collection of letters and pieces concerning Voltaire and his family, in three volumes. This volume (the third) contains verse by, or attributed to, Voltaire. This copy of La Fête de Bélesbat contains several variants of the print edition.