Berlin 24 january o. s. [n. s. 1752]

My dear and beneficent friend j send to you by the way of Hambourg, two enormous bales of the scribling trade. J direct them to our envoy at Hambourg, who will dispatch them to you and put my wares to sea, instead of throwing em into the fire, which might to be case in France or at Rome; my dear friend j have recourse to y^r free and generous soul. Some french, good patriots, who have read the book, raise a noble clamour against me for having prais'd Marlborough and Eugene, and some good churchmen damn me for having turn'd a little into ridicule our jansenisme and molinisme. If our prejudic'd people are fools, booksellers and printers, on bookjobbers are rogues. J am like to be damn'd in France and cheated by the dutch. The old germanik honesty is gone.

Booksellers of all regions are the same. J'll lose all the fruit of my labours and expenses, but j rely on y^r kindness. You may cause some books to be bound, and chuse an honest man, who will give them to the chief readers of y^r nation. J intreat you to present his highess with one of these volumes, and to give some exemplaries to those of y^r friends you will think fit. The bookseller you will chuse may be what he pleases with the remainder, and sell them as best as he can, provided he sells not before easter, t'is all j require of him. J beg you hundred pardons for so much trouble, and j wish the book could procure you a pleasure equal to my importunities. My ultimatum is then to teize you with the reading of the book, to pray you to give one to his R. h. the duke¹and to y^r friends, to commit the rest in to the hands of any man you will think proper to chuse, and to forgive my cumbersom follies. Do what you please. Burn the book in case you should yawn in reading it, but do not forget y^r old friend who will be attach'd to you till the day of his doom.

My best respects to y^r lady, my wishes for y^r children, my tender affection and everlasting friendshipp to you.

Volt.