Voltaire, contemporary copy of his letter to Catherine Félicité Marie, queen consort of France [née Leszczyńska] of 10 october 1746 (D3777), with a scribal manuscript of short satirical poems mostly concerned with French and European politics
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV32949
Repository:
Shelfmark:
MS 51
Title:
Voltaire, contemporary copy of his letter to Catherine Félicité Marie, queen consort of France [née Leszczyńska] of 10 october 1746 (D3777), with a scribal manuscript of short satirical poems mostly concerned with French and European politics
Collection(s):
No related collections found.
Link to Archive Catalogue:
Link to Digital Resource:
OCLC Number:
Reproductions:
Content
Incipit Diplomatic:
Madame Je me jette aux pieds de V.M.
Incipit Modernised:
Madame je me jette aux pieds de V.M.
Language(s):
In Own Hand:
–
Brief Summary:
A letter from Voltaire to Catherine Félicité Marie, queen consort of France [née Leszczyńska] in which Voltaire asks for her protection against a forthcoming staire produced by his ennemies. Included alongside the letter are a series of short poems, epigrammes, and songs largely concerning European politics.
Detailed Summary:
In his letter to Catherine Félicité Marie, queen consort of France [née Leszczyńska] dated 10 October 1748, Voltaire begs the queen consort to not allow an ‘odious satire’ against him to be performed before her at Fontainebleau. He adds that his La Tragédie de Sémiramis is moral and so he expects her protection. Voltaire contines by noting that as he is the King’s servant, he is also the queen consort’s, writing that if the satire is to be performed he will be forced to resign from his position due to the ‘cruel debasement’ he would face. He therefore asks again for protection from his enemies who wish to destroy him via public stigma. In the final section of the letter, Voltaire notes that satirical parodies have been forbidden in Paris for several years and asks the queen consort to act out of the goodness of her heart to protect him.
With the letter are included a variety of short satirical poems that concern French and wider European politics. The poems provided with titles include:
f.5r: ‘Couplet Sur L’air dansom le naveau Cotillon’
f.5r: ‘Air de Joconde’
f.5v: ‘Sur Lair. vous m’entendès bien.’
f.7r: ‘Sur Lair des mousquetaire’
f.8v: ‘Sur Lair Reveillès-vous’
f.8v: ‘Sur la bequille’
f.9r: ‘Marche des Bostangise’
f.9v: ‘air des Pendus’
f.13v: ‘Air de Joconde’
f.14r: ‘Sur L’air v’la ceque l’est que d’aller au bois’
f.14r: ‘Sur Lair de la Baronne.’
f.14r: ‘a La tournelle.’
f.14v: ‘Sur L’air des trivlets’
f.14v: ‘Sur L’air Oreguingnotte’
f.15v: ‘Air Mr Le Revot’
f.16r: ‘Epitaphe de Mr de fort Caltier Roy des Huns.’
f.16r: ‘Chanson composée par les grenadiers de Regt du Roy sur l’air Mr Les allemanes’
f.17r: ‘Epitaphe de Mr de Breteuil’
f.17v: ‘air ou est il ce petit nouveau né’
f.17v: ‘De Luxembourg et de Turenne’
f.18r: ‘Sur l’air trent qurde ma pipe serre mon briquet’
f.18v: ‘air de tous les Capucin du monde’
f.18v: ‘air L’aire laire &c’
f.19r: ‘air des Pendus’
f.25r: ‘Chanson sur les revolutions arrivées à St Peterdbourg air des Pendus’
f.25r: ‘air de la marche francoise’
f.25v: ‘air de tous le Capuccins du monde.’
f.25v: ‘air. j’aurai une robbe’
f.25v: ‘air que n’aimés vous seurs insensible’
Status:
Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
26 ff.
Format:
Dimensions:
169 x 95 mm
Hands:
3
Watermark:
The letter is watermarked with indistinguishable text. The short poems are on paper likewise watermarked with indistinguishable text, as well as fleur de lys and shields.
Countermark:
Binding:
The two manuscripts are bound together in brown Middle Hill boards by Brethertons. A sticker on the inner cover reads: ‘BRETHERTONS sigavit 1850.’
Additional Comments:
The text sparkles throughout due to pounce having been absorbed into the ink. The pages of the letter had been folded in half horizontally and unfolded again before binding. They also feature thin vertical fold lines along the long edges of the pages that create margins. There are ink splatters on f.7v and f.9r, and an ink stain in the left-hand margin of f.16r and the right-hand margin of f.16v. There are two large ink dots in the left-hand margin of f.4r amd a large dot of ink in the upper right-hand margin of f.20r. Potential partial fingerprints feature of f.8v-9r and f.12v, and there are ink smudges on f.17v. The ink from f.25v has transferred slightly onto f.26r. There is a small tear to the lower right-hand corner of f.9r. A small cross has been drawn in the upper right-hand corner of f.17r.
Materiality Keywords:
Decorations:
Undecorated
Additions:
The word ‘non’ has been added in the margins of the short poems in a different hand to the body of the text. The same hand has also added the word ‘havanque’ in the left-hand margin of f.25v. A pencil note in the hand of Sir Thomas Phillips on f.4r suggests that these ‘non’ notes are in Voltaire’s hand, a matter that Besterman disputes in his annotations on the Sotheby catalogue included with the manuscript. There are corrections throughout in the form of crossings out.
Marginalia Keywords:
Inclusions:
A cutting from a Sotheby’s catalogue describing the manuscript. It is listed as Lot 1218. Notes in an unknown modern hand have been added. The first, in pen, notes that the auction took place in London on 15 June 1970 and gives the number of the sale (30) and the lot (1218). The second, in pencil, is linked to a section of the description that claims that Voltaire’s autograph is contained within the margins via an asterisk and reads: ‘not so’.
History
Date:
Ownership:
From the library of Joseph Tastu (1781-1849). Owned by Sir Thomas Phillipps Bt. (1792-1872), part of MS. 3542.
Origin (transcript):
Origin:
Provenance:
Sold at auction by Sotheby in London on 15 June 1970 (Lot 1218).
Bibliography
Bibliography:
OCV Reference:
OCV Manuscript Reference: