We have the honor of delivering to you the work of Mr. Mably, according to the promise we made to your excellency.1 Here is the first copy that is leaving our hands, and which we are giving to no one else, a proof of the special trust that we have in you, sir, and as it is very important to us to prevent any pirating, we rely on the assurances that your excellency was so good as to give us, that this copy will not leave your hands until we have had the honor of sending you the 24 copies that you requested.

Monsignor the Abbé de Mably wrote us to begin by shipping twelve copies to the bookseller Mr. Alexandre Jombert the Younger in Paris in order to test the reaction of the censors. He adds that if they are held back, measures will be taken to send them by another route.2

We are with respect, sir, your very humble and very obedient servants