#cuz despite being a republic; Geneva was strongly controlled by the Calvenists and had strict laws in favor of 'morality'

[tabellae-rex-in-sui]

You can ignore this if it's too much trouble. But you've mentioned having access to Electronic Enlightenment and I wanted to ask if you could look up a particular Voltaire letter? I found it quoted somewhere but it doesn't give the date so I want to check if it's real. It's near the end of his life and he says something about wanting to come back as a republican after he dies? Thank you!!

Found it! "Admit that it is sweet to be born in a free country. For me if I ever come back to the world, I want to be reborn as a republican."

It's from a January 18, 1764 letter to Gabriel Cramer. Cramer was a Genevan publisher who specialized in dissident works from authors who preferred to remain anonymous. Unsurprisingly, he published a lot of V's stuff and worked closely with him.

Here's the full letter:

Voicy une Lettre de Démolard, ou Dumolard qui parait ne savoir pas encor que Mr Philibert a renoncé à la Typographie. Je crois que ce Dumolard demande des exemplaires du Corneille, et je pense aussi, que Mr Cramer ne lui en fera donner que pour de l'argent comptant, entendu que mr Dumolard pourait bien être parent de la Dame Brunet, Imprimeuse de l'académie.

Nous avons découvert quelques ennemis mortels de la Tolérance, et je crois qu'il est très à propos d'ordonner qu'on serre sous cent clefs vôtre ballot de Paris pendant un mois ou six semaines. J'espère qu'alors tous les orages seront appaisés.

Vous savez qu'on a fouré à la Bastille, le Typographe Lambert, il le méritait bien puis qu'il imprimait les males-semainesa de Fréron, mais après tout il est dur d'être entre quatre murailles pour avoir éxercé un art, sans lequel nous serions encor des barbares. Avouez qu'il est doux d'être né dans un païs Libre. Pour moi si je reviens jamais au monde, je veux renaitre républicain.

The context for "I want to be reborn a republican" is the news that a french typographer was recently thrown in the Bastille for publishing Fréron books. V jokes that he deserved it for publishing Fréron but more seriously adds that it's wrong to imprison someone for creating art. Then tells Cramer it must be nice living in a free country (Geneva was a republic at the time, although far from what the Amrev or Frev sought out to make) and that he wishes to be reborn at a republican, meaning someone born into a free country.

So he's saying it more casually than actually subscribing to republicanism but it's a very cool quote nonetheless!