Аукцион Bidspirit | VOLTAIRE: (1694-1778)

VOLTAIRE: (1694-1778) - ‘I have made my will and I leave you my Pucelle manuscript, more complete than the printed version’   VOLTAIRE: (1694-1778) Francois-Marie Arouet. French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher. An excellent Autograph Letter, unsigned, two pages (with a postscript of four lines to the third page of the bifolium), 4to, n.p., n.d. (annotated 18 th January in another hand; 1760), to Comte Francesco Algarotti, in French. Voltaire informs his correspondent that he has looked through some Swiss newspapers for an article, but has not found it, remarking 'je m'en souviens cependant qu'on parle avec eloges de votre ouvrage, le Newtonisme est comme du fu Algarott, ce que je disais que vous etiez deja mis parmi les anciens etoit de moi'i' (Translation: 'I remember however that people speak with praise of your work, Newtonism is like fu Algarotti, what I said that you were already placed among the ancients was mine' ). Voltaire continues to write concerning politics, 'La belle chose que de gouverneur les hommes! de se tourmenter pour les faire entendre raison sans que rien ne vous en revient! Ce pays soupirait apres un renouvellement d'alliance avec quelques cantons voisins; nos grands politiques y avaient echoues, il n'y avait plus question a mon arrivee ici; je l'ay fait sans peine; et pour recompense, ceux qui avaient manque deja l'affaire, m'ont suscite (tant qu'ils ont pu) des tracasseries par envie, la passion, ou si vous voulez   folie, la plus universelle est la vanite, et il y en a plus ici que nul part' (Translation: 'The beautiful thing of governor men! To torment themselves, to make them listen to reason without anything coming back to you! This country longed for a renewal of alliance with some neighbouring cantons; our great politicians had failed there, there was no longer any question of my arrival here; I did it without difficulty; and as a reward, those who had already missed the case, aroused in me (as much as they could) annoyances out of envy, passion, or if you want madness, the most universal is vanity, and there has been more here than anywhere' ) and also explains that he had arranged a ceremony for the Canton de Soleure, explaining 'ils ont trouve moyen de renverser mon projet simple, pour y substituer l'ancienne ceremonial helvetique; je dois etre a la tete de quatre ambassadeurs, avec une suite de noblesse dont peu peuvent pretendre etre gentils hommespeu s'en est falu qu'on ne m'a mis sur un grand cheval de Lonage pour faire mon entree a Soleure, car j'ai bien deux bonnes vaches pour me donner de la creme et du bon beurre frais, mais je n'ai pas un cheval a monter' (Translation: 'they have found a way to reverse my simple project, to substitute the old Swiss ceremonial; I must be at the head of four ambassadors, with a retinue of nobility that few can claim to be nice me. I was put on a big Lonage horse to enter Soleure, because I have two good cows to give me cream and good fresh butter, but I don't have a horse to mount' ). In the postscript Voltaire makes a curious statement, 'Outre la grande ceremonie, je dois boire environ 300 .....santes a la Suisse, je me donne deja pour noye et enterre, j'ai fait mon testament et je vous laisse ma Pucelle manuscrite, plus complete que l'imprimee' (Translation: 'Besides the great ceremony, I have to drink about 300….health to Switzerland, I already give myself up for drowning and burying myself, I have made my will and I leave you my Pucelle manuscript, more complete than the printed version' ). With integral address panel in Voltaire's hand (small area of paper loss caused by the original breaking of the seal). A letter of good content and association. Neatly tipped to the left edge within paper wrappers and contained in a plain card folder from a 19 th century English collection. VG Count Francesco Algarotti (1712-1764) Italian polymath, philosopher, poet, essayist, anglophile, art critic and art collector, an expert in Newtonianism, architecture and opera, and a friend of Frederick the Great, Voltaire and other leading authors of his time.