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Voltaire to Jean Le Rond d'Alembert (1774 June 4) - Leaf 1
1 Mr de Chambon whom I do not know, whom 2 I do not want to know until he has your endorsement, 3 has sent two copies of his small panegyric to Raton 4 He says that he made the same dispatch to Bertrand. Yet 5 only Bertrand is able to judge this work. 6 Raton says that he is too old, too sick, too 7 little knowledgeable of transcendental geometry, to 8 dare express his judgment on such 9 thorny calculations. If Bertrand wants to send to him the unknown factors 10 and the equations Raton will be much obliged to him. These 11 are real brainteasers. The brain of the old patient 12 is too weak to take pains to do such research. 13 He tenderly embraces Bertrand with his two 14 front paws, and he will remain as long he can 15 on his two hind paws. J.[1]
[1] This last initial is difficult to determine, since it does not look like “V” even though it should be. It may be the initial of the copyist.