Autograph letter from Voltaire to César de Missy, written from Brussels and dated 1 September 1742 [D2648]

Identifiers

CMV:

CMV33820

Shelfmark:

Français 12933 (fol.60-61)

Title:

Autograph letter from Voltaire to César de Missy, written from Brussels and dated 1 September 1742 [D2648]

Link to Archive Catalogue:

Link to Digital Resource:

OCLC Number:

Reproductions:

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, MF 23567

Content

People:

Voltaire: Author
César de Missy: Recipient

Incipit Diplomatic:

j’ay trouvé monsieur à mon retour à bruxelles une lettre bien agreable de vous, a la quelle je ne réponds qu’en vile prose, mais, ce que vous ne croirez peutêtre pas, cest pour avoir plutôt fait.

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Brief Summary:

Autograph letter from Voltaire to César de Missy, written from Brussels and dated 1 September 1742.

Detailed Summary:

Voltaire writes that he found de Missy’s last letter on his return to Brussels. He asks de Missy to send him everything that his been done in the universal history in English from chapter 7 concerning the Jews to the captivity of Babylon. He notes that a small edition of his works has recently been printed in Paris under the title d’Edition de Genève chez Bousquet and adds that this is the least faulty and the most complete that he has seen. Voltaire says that he will send a copy to de Missy. He adds that if some bookseller in London wanted to reprint them, we would send them a corrected copy and put them in a better order, accompanied by as yet unpublished pieces such as Mahomet. He remarks that the play was made for English heads rather than for French hearts and that they found it too bold for Paris.

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Physical Description

Material(s):

Extent:

2 ff.

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Hands:

1

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Binding:

Additional Comments:

The outer edge of f.61 is torn. The tear was caused by a wax seal, which remains almost intact on f.61v.

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Decorations:

Undecorated

Additions:

The majority of lines 15-16 on f.60r have been underlined. The first word of line 5 on f.60v has been crossed out, as has the eighth word of line 10 on the same. F.60r is stamped with the library stamp of Louis-Nicolas-Jean-Joachim de Cayrol and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. A postage stamp has been stamped above the address on f.61v.

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