The manuscript is part of the Soleinne collection, which is kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Département des manuscrits, FF 9313). The topic of the play was taken from an anonymous tale (the author’s name is reduced to its first letter: D), entitled Lettre d'un comédien à un de ses amis, touchant sa captivité et celle de vingt-six de ses camarades chez les corsaires de Tunis (Letter from an actor to one of his friends, about his imprisonment and that of twenty-six of his colleagues by corsairs in Tunis; Paris :Pierre Clément, 1741).

The manuscript bears two censor’s certificates. One dated 27 February 1742 approved it for performance and was signed by Crébillon, who was then royal censor for shows. The other, dated from the following day, confirms this authorization, “on condition that the actors only speak with a whistle or with gestures”, which seems impossible considering the importance of the dialogues and of the sung parts of the play. The dialogue between Polichinelle and the Compère, at the very beginning of the show, was most likely played by a puppet, and an actor standing in front of the stage would serve as an intermediary with the audience.

Polichinelle and the Compère talk about a naval battle which has just taken place. A troupe of French and Italian comedians is attacked at sea by corsairs led by a French renegade. The latter brings them to Tunis. The actors put on a show for the Gouverneur (Governor), scare the audience with Arlequin’s mask and are sent to work in the fields. The actresses reject the Gouverneur’s advances (Governor). The renegade plans their escape, so that they can go back to France.