“Democracy” and Encyclopédie The aborted dialogue between Voltaire and Montesquieu

Even though Voltaire’s Questions on the Encyclopedia were conceived as a response to the shortfalls of the great Encyclopedia, we will notice that the Voltairian entry on “Democracy” never explicitly enters into a discussion with Jaucourt’s encyclopedic definition. Could Voltaire have found himself at odds with Montesquieu’s former disciple, or could a far more “infamous” enemy be lurking behind this aborted dialogue?