Archivist’s Journal: Entry No. 7
Date: Friday, May 7, 2024
Hypothesis: Tensions with the Freemasons
I managed to obtain a letter written by Voltaire to Racle. In this letter, he mentions a formula that Lalande is said to have “borrowed” from the Freemasons’ lodge of Pont-de-Vaux, the oldest in the Ain region. After founding his own lodge (Les Neuf Sœurs), Lalande is said to have entrusted the formula to Voltaire. The latter reportedly joined his friend’s lodge a few months before his death.
Transcription of Voltaire’s letter to Racle:
“My dear Léonard, I would like to entrust you with a secret. I am currently in possession of a formula that could change the world. I received it from Lalande, who himself had obtained it from the Freemason community of Pont-de-Vaux. I sincerely believe that it must not fall into the wrong hands. That is why I am entrusting it to you. I know that you will make good use of it.”