Letter signed from Voltaire to an unknown recipient, dating to June 1745 [D3144]

Identifiers

CMV:

CMV33788

Repository:

Shelfmark:

MS 120.27

Title:

Letter signed from Voltaire to an unknown recipient, dating to June 1745 [D3144]

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OCLC Number:

Reproductions:

Content

People:

Voltaire: Author
Unknown: Recipient

Incipit Diplomatic:

manuscritte, cest madame dEtiole qui l’a luy a envoyée, et elle a eté signée Louis aulieu detre signee marville.

Incipit Modernised:

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In Own Hand:

Brief Summary:

Letter signed from Voltaire to an unknown recipient, dating to June 1745.

Detailed Summary:

The beginning of the letter appears to be missing. Voltaire writes of something that had been signed ‘Louis’ rather that ‘Marville’, noting that it is not bed to go to Cleopatra if you want to succeed with Ceasar. He asks if the recipient knows that their friend, Roy, Chevalier de St Michel, made a speech in verse to the king on the subject of the success of his arms in which he said that he only wished to see the king as a father and a husband. He then notes that the ‘moutons de Berry’ have no more reason to complain because Madame la Duchesse du Maine has given Voltaire thanks for the ‘blue murderers’ who carry rifle guns, adding that everyone seems happy, especially the king. Voltaire then states that he is giving the recipient this account out of duty because they have been so interested in the work that it is almost as much theirs as it is his. He then talks of a satirical poem written by le Chevalier de St Michel about Voltaire, quoting some of the verse, before discussing the manner in which Monsieur de Soubise prevented Antoin’s post from being abandoned and disobeyed Marshal de Saxe in order to win the battle. Voltaire signs of the letter with the phrase: ‘Adieu Atticus’.

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Physical Description

Material(s):

Extent:

2 ff.

Format:

Dimensions:

184 x 134 mm

Hands:

2

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Additional Comments:

The pages feature an additional horizontal fold line. There is some mild staining to both leaves and the main fold line is slightly discoloured. Voltaire appears to change pen multiple times.

Materiality Keywords:

Decorations:

Undecorated

Additions:

A second, unknown hand has added the phrase ‘Briby de Voltaire’ to the top of f.1r. There is one small correction to the text on l.14 of f.1v.

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History

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