In an envelope-filling machine, a clear and simplified construction of the drive system is achieved for the enclosure-collating path, for the enclosure-feeding stations and for the parts of the envelope-filling station, in that a drive motor and a step-down gear mechanism, a bevel gear mechanism and a step-by-step motion linkage are arranged in a row along a main shaft which extends in the longitudinal direction of the machine and is arranged so as to be offset out of the region below the enclosure cassettes of the enclosure-feeding station, and the main shaft is guided through the step-down gear mechanism and the bevel gear mechanism as far as a coupling point for a crank mechanism in order to actuate a pivoting shaft which is common to the gripper arms of the enclosure-feeding stations.