Autograph letter from Voltaire to Stanislas II Auguste Poniatowski, dated 6 December 1771.
Detailed Summary:
The writer expresses deep personal loyalty to the monarch and comments on reports that Cosinski and other conspirators swore a religious oath to the Virgin Mary before attempting their crime. He notes with irony that many infamous assassins were also deeply religious. He suggests that the monarch’s presence, virtues, and humanity may have stirred natural feelings of compassion in the would-be assassin, countering the influence of religious fanaticism. The writer believes this horrific event will ultimately strengthen the monarch’s position and make rebellion shameful. He requests a brief reply, to be sent to Geneva, and closes with renewed expressions of respect and devotion.
The manuscript is bound with other documents in contemporary red morocco.
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History
Date:
6 December 1771
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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)