About the book: year / “From Buteau’s sketch in the February book “Nouvelle Revue” (“Le Cardinal Voltaire”) it turns out that a little was missing to Voltaire became a cardinal at the whim of Mme de Pompadour. The history of this candidacy, told by Buteau, is very curious, as evidence that the 18th century was distinguished by frivolity no less than by skepticism, and was carried away by extraordinary fantasies. The Roman court would easily agree to make Voltaire a cardinal. This, at least, is Buteau’s opinion... Isn’t one lost sheep returned to the bosom of the church more pleasing to heaven than ten righteous ones who never stumbled? And in this case, the sheep, of course, was worth a whole herd... of wolves…»