Voltaire begins by saying that d’ Alembert has reassured him about the article for the Encyclopédie titled ‘Femme’. He then discusses the processes of creating such articles, questioning if there should be guidelines with regards length as d’ Alembert has complained of vague and methodless dissertations that several individuals have submitted to him. He asks why d’ Alembert did not issue authors with protocols regarding etymology, definitions, examples, reasons, clarity, and brevity stating that though he saw only a dozen articles, he could not find any of the above in them. Voltaire concludes, however, that such questioning wrongs d’ Alembert as there are bad soldiers in the army of a great general.

Voltaire then states that if he were in Paris, he would spend all his time in the king’s library so as to aid d’ Alembert in his Encyclopédie. He adds that he is interested in the work as it honours his homeland and is useful for the human race, but that he does not have access to any of the necessary books.

He then turns to the civil unrest in France and the civil wars of Germany, which he dubs sad and awful respectively. He notes that the next campaign will likely be a bloody one. Voltaire then mentions La Pucelle, noting that the ‘infamous’ edition afflicts him. He sends his and Madame Denis’ love, before concluding that the has received the entry for ‘Histoire’ and will return it in five days time.