[VOLTAIRE]: (1694-1778) French Enlightenment Writer and Philosopher. Voltaire is a pseudonym, his name being François-Marie Arouet. Voltaire is known for his attacks on Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion and expression, and separation of church and state. A fine and amusing A.L., dictated by Voltaire, in the hand of his secretary Jean-Louis Wagniere, one page, 4to, Ferney, 25^th September 1774, to Doctor Revillon, at Gex, in French. Voltaire is concerned with his health and pulse and wants to get back and read a specific book related to this, saying `Monsieur de Voltaire fait bien ses compliments à Monsieur Revillon. Comme il a depuis deux jours le pouls intermitant et dicrothé, il prie Monsieur Revillon de vouloir bien lui renvoyer le tome de Boherave où il parle de la connaissance du pouls´ (“Monsieur de Voltaire sends his compliments to Monsieur Revillon. As he has had an intermittent and dicrothetic pulse for two days, he asks Monsieur Revillon to kindly send him back the volume of Boherave where he talks about the knowledge of the pulse”) Before concluding Voltaire states in his usual insightful humorous way `…lorsque l´on meurt, on est bien aise de savoir de quoi l´on meurt´ (“When we die, we are glad to know what we are dying of”) Letter apparently unpublished. With address leaf bearing remnants of a former seal, and small area of paper loss as a result of the letter opening. G

 

Jean-Louis Wagnière (1740-1802) Swiss secretary of Voltaire.