[Voltaire] - Testament politique de M. de V*** - 1770

Original edition, rare, of Voltaire's political testament, published anonymously in Geneva in 1770, eight years before his death.

Paperback, housed in a thick paper cover with the handwritten title. In good overall condition. Half-title page and last page browned, edges of the paper also. A small stain in the upper corner of the title page. A few rare pinholes. A small tear on most pages at the hinge (1cm, without loss). Pencil marks on the cover's frontispiece.
Good specimen, uncommon.

I have always contemplated death without wishing for it or fearing it. It is hideous, but necessary; often the beautiful evening of a cloudy day. My weak complexion had always led me to believe it would arrive less slowly for me. It has spared me, but old age announces its approach. When it presents itself, despite its ugliness, my door will always be open to it: I fear, but I hope more. I wish to feign the feeling of immortality, to cement my own through singular dispositions. I have lived in an uncommon way, I must test and die in the same.

Since the beginning of February 1773, Voltaire has been suffering from prostate cancer (retrospectively diagnosed today thanks to the autopsy report conducted the day after his death). He experiences severe dysuria, frequent fever attacks, and episodes of loss of consciousness. His swollen legs led to talk of dropsy (a condition from which his probable biological father died in 1719). On May 8, he informed D'Alembert: "I see death at the end of my nose."

Voltaire
Political testament of M. de V***
Geneva, s.e, 1770
In-12 (21 x 13 cm), 66 pages