Lettres anglaises consists of twenty-four letters: • Letter I: On The Quakers • Letter II: On The Quakers • Letter III: On The Quakers • Letter IV: On The Quakers • Letter V: On The Church of England • Letter VI: On The Presbyterians • Letter VII: On The Socinians, or Arians, or Antitrinitarians • Letter VIII: On The Parliament • Letter IX: On The Government • Letter X: On Trade • Letter XI: On Inoculation • Letter XII: On The Lord Bacon • Letter XIII: On Mr. Locke • Letter XIV: On Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton • Letter XV: On Attraction • Letter XVI: On Sir Isaac Newton's Optics • Letter XVII: On Infinites in Geometry, and Sir Isaac Newton's Chronology • Letter XVIII: On Tragedy • Letter XIX: On Comedy • Letter XX: On Such of The Nobility as Cultivate The Belles Lettres • Letter XXI: On The Earl of Rochester and Mr. Waller • Letter XXII: On Mr. Pope and Some Other Famous Poets • Letter XXIII: On The Regard That Ought to Be Shown to Men of Letters • Letter XXIV: On The Royal Society and Other Academies
Religion Voltaire first addresses religion in Letters 1–7. He specifically talks about
Quakers (1–4),
Anglicans (5),
Presbyterians (6) and
Socinians (7). In the Letters 1–4, Voltaire describes the Quakers, their customs, their beliefs, and their history. He appreciates the simplicity of their rituals. In particular, he praises their lack of
baptism ("we are not of opinion that the sprinkling water on a child's head makes him a Christian"), the lack of
communion ("'How! no communion?' said I. 'Only that spiritual one', replied he, 'of hearts'"), and the lack of
priests ("'You have, then, no priests?', said I to him. 'No, no, friend', replies the Quaker, 'to our great happiness'"), but still expresses concern regarding the manipulative nature of organized religion. Letter 5 is devoted to the Anglican religion, which Voltaire compares favourably to
Catholicism ("With regard to the morals of the English clergy, they are more regular than those of France"), but he criticizes the ways in which it has stayed true to the Catholic rituals, in particular ("The English clergy have retained a great number of the Romish ceremonies, and especially that of receiving, with a most scrupulous attention, their tithes"). In Letter 6, Voltaire attacks the
Presbyterians, whom he sees as intolerant ("[The Presbyterian] affects a serious gait, puts on a sour look, wears a vastly broad-brimmed hat and a long cloak over a very short coat, preaches through the nose, and gives the name of the
whore of Babylon to all churches where the ministers are so fortunate as to enjoy an annual revenue of five or six thousand pounds, and where the people are weak enough to suffer this, and to give them the titles of my lord, your lordship, or your eminence") and overly strict ("No operas, plays, or concerts are allowed in London on Sundays, and even cards are so expressly forbidden that none but persons of quality, and those we call the genteel, play on that day; the rest of the nation go either to church, to the tavern, or to see their mistresses"). Finally, in the Letter 7, he talks about the "Socinians", whose belief system is somewhat related to Voltaire's own
deist viewpoint. Voltaire argues that while this sect includes some of the day's most important thinkers (including
Newton and
Locke), this is not enough to persuade the common man that it is logical. According to Voltaire, men prefer to follow the teachings of "wretched authors" such as
Martin Luther,
John Calvin or
Huldrych Zwingli.
Politics In Letters 8 and 9, Voltaire discusses the English political system. Letter 8 talks about the British parliament, which he compares to both
Rome and France. In terms of Rome, Voltaire deprecates the fact that England has entered
wars on account of religion (whereas Rome did not), but he praises England for serving liberty rather than tyranny (as in Rome). In terms of France, Voltaire responds to French criticism concerning the
regicide of
Charles I by highlighting the British judicial process as opposed to the outright murders of
Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII or
Henry III of France, or the multiple attempts on the life of
Henry IV of France. In Letter 9, Voltaire gives a brief history of the
Magna Carta, talks about the equal dispensing of justice, and the levying of taxes.
Trade and commerce In Letter 10, Voltaire praises the English trade system, its benefits, and what it brings to the English (from 1707, British) nation. According to Voltaire, trade greatly contributed to the liberty of the English people, and this liberty in turn contributed to the expansion of commerce. It is trade as well that gave England its naval riches and power. In addition, Voltaire takes the opportunity to satirize the German and French nobles who ignore this type of enterprise. For Voltaire, nobles are less important than the businessman who "contributes to the felicity of the world".
Medicine In Letter 11, Voltaire argues in favour for the English practice of
inoculation, which was widely mistrusted and condemned in continental Europe. This letter is probably in response to a 1723
small pox epidemic in
Paris that killed 20,000 people.
Famous Britons Letter 12 speaks of
Francis Bacon, author of
Novum Organum and father of
experimental philosophy. Letter 13 is about
John Locke and his theories on the immortality of the soul. Letter 14 compares British philosopher
Isaac Newton to French philosopher
René Descartes. Upon his death in 1727, Newton was compared to Descartes in a eulogy performed by French philosopher
Fontenelle. While the British did not appreciate this comparison, Voltaire argues that Descartes, too, was a great philosopher and mathematician. Letter 15 focuses on
Newton's law of universal gravitation. Letter 16 talks about Newton's work with
optics. Letter 17 discusses Newton's work with geometry and his theories on the chronology of history.
Art In Letter 18, Voltaire talks about British tragedy, specifically in the hands of
William Shakespeare. Voltaire presents his readers with the famous "
To be, or not to be" soliloquy in
Hamlet along with a translation into French rhyming verse. He also cites a passage from
John Dryden and gives a translation. In Letter 19, Voltaire addresses British comedy, citing
William Wycherley,
John Vanbrugh and
William Congreve. Letter 20 speaks briefly of the
belles lettres of the nobility, including the
Earl of Rochester and
Edmund Waller. Letter 22 references the poetry of
Jonathan Swift and
Alexander Pope. In Letter 23, Voltaire argues that the British honour their Men of Letters far better than the French in terms of money and veneration. The last letter, Letter 24, discusses the
Royal Society of London, which he compares unfavourably to the
Académie Française. ==Letter XXV==