La Religion naturelle, exorde
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV33908
Repository:
Shelfmark:
5-240 (II, f.123-131), ‘La Religion naturelle, exorde’
Title:
La Religion naturelle, exorde
Collection(s):
Related record(s):
No related manuscripts found.
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Content
People:
Incipit Diplomatic:
Souveraine sans faste et femme sans faiblesse
Incipit Modernised:
Souveraine sans faste et femme sans faiblesse
Language(s):
In Voltaire’s Hand:
No
Brief Summary:
The manuscript is not catalogued in the OCV, yet it bears a strong resemblance to MS5, which carries the same title and the same incipit.
Detailed Summary:
The manuscript is an exordium to Voltaire’s poem La Religion naturelle, comprised of four parts. It is a variant of the poem more commonly known as Poème sur la loi naturelle, with the incipit reading ‘Oh vous! Dont les exploits…’. In a letter of 22 March 1756 to the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha, Voltaire recalls having completed the poem while staying at her château in Gotha in 1753. The poem explores themes of happiness, morality, and natural law. It was most likely dedicated to the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha. The work was condemned by the Parlement de Paris in early 1759, along with Helvétius’s De l’esprit and four other works (D8086, D8137, D8159). Voltaire’s reaction was bitter (D15618).
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Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
9 ff.
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Binding:
The manuscript is bound with other documents in contemporary red morocco.
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History
Date:
1753
Ownership:
After Voltaire’s death, the MS passed into the ownership of Catherine II and remained in the imperial and then national collection thereafter.
Origin (transcript):
Origin:
Provenance:
This MS was probably taken to St Petersburg by Wagnière in the summer of 1779 along with the rest of Voltaire’s library.
Bibliography
Bibliography:
Fernand Caussy, Inventaire des manuscrits de la bibliothèque de Voltaire conservée à la bibliothèque impériale publique de Saint-Pétersbourg (Geneva, Slatkine reprints, 1970)
OCV Reference:
vol.32B, ‘Poème sur la loi naturelle’, p.48-85
OCV Manuscript Reference:
Record created by:
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