Autograph letter from Voltaire to Frederick II of Prussia, dated 31 August 1776 [1775] [D19635].
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV36703
Repository:
Shelfmark:
5-240 (VII, f.66-7), ’31 auguste 1776 (M. 9477)’
Title:
Autograph letter from Voltaire to Frederick II of Prussia, dated 31 August 1776 [1775] [D19635].
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Content
People:
Incipit Diplomatic:
Sire, Je renvoie aujourdui aux pieds de votre majesté, votre brave et sage officer d’Etalonde Morival que vous avez daigné me confier pendant dixhuit mois.
Incipit Modernised:
Seigneur, Je renvoie aujourd’hui aux pieds de votre majesté, votre brave et sage officier d’Etalonde Morival que vous avez daigné me confier pendant dix-huit mois.
Language(s):
In Voltaire’s Hand:
Partly
Brief Summary:
Autograph letter from Voltaire to Frederick II of Prussia, dated 31 August 1776 [1775].
Detailed Summary:
In this letter, the writer returns Morival d’Etalonde, commending his commendable conduct and tactical expertise while highlighting the absurdity of his past condemnation. The writer praises the King for his legislative wisdom and protection of virtue, contrasting it with the continued barbarity and outdated laws in France. He reflects on his own literary works, criticizing the excesses of publishers and the persistence of past conflicts with critics. Ultimately, he implores the King to manage his literary legacy as he has done with so many others and acknowledges the transient nature of human achievements. According to T. D. N. Besterman, ‘In MS1, Wagnière subsequently added 1776, but of course there is no doubt that the letter was written in 1775.’
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Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
2 ff.
Format:
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Hands:
2
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Binding:
The manuscript is bound with other documents in contemporary red morocco.
Additional Comments:
Materiality Keywords:
Decorations:
Additions:
In MS1, Wagnière added ‘1776’.
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History
Date:
31 August 1776 [1775]
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Origin:
Provenance:
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)
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