Marie-Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise Du Deffand begins the letter by stating that she will respect Voltaire as a king. She then turns to her poor health, noting that she has taken infusions of linden, chamomile, and white broth. She adds that old age would be bearable is she had someone to talk to, but that it seems to her that all men are madmen or beasts. The Marquise then questions whether or not she is both of those things, noting that she tells herself that she is like those who have Jaundice and see everything yellow. She then turns to her acquaintances, writing that she sees D’Alembert often and, like Voltaire, finds him very witty. She also adds that the president is well, that his taste for the world is not weakening, and that he is much sought after because he is very friendly despite becoming deaf. She advises Voltaire to address his letters and stories to Étienne François de Choiseul, assuring him that by doing so they will reach her. The Marquise concludes by discussing her current displeasure with reading, remarking that boredom overcomes her for what little good reasoning and truth is contained within a book is all too often drowned in a jumble of eloquence and academic style, inclining her more towards the Bibliothèque bleue.