Voltaire opens by addressing the news that Madame de St Julien is coming to Geneva, stating that he is astonished by and happy about it. He then asks if d’Argental has read two volumes of a work by a ‘misérable’ who argues that Shakespeare is the only good model of tragedy, noting that the author sacrifices the French to his idol as pigs were once sacrificed to Ceres. He expresses particular woe at the author omitting to mention Corneille and Racine. Voltaire bemoans that this author had gotten the royal family to subscribe to his work, asking if d’Argental had read his abominable grimoire of which there were still five volumes outstanding, before stating that they should not suffer this affront. Voltaire then states that what makes matters worse is that he was the first to speak of Shakespeare and show the French some pearls within his collective works (dubbed by Voltaire as manure), adding that he never thought his introduction of the French to Shakespeare would lead to the trampling of the crowns of Racine and Corneille He asks d’Argental to be as angry as he is. In the conclusion of the letter, he discusses plays to be performed in Geneva.