Paper: 1) Russian machine-made paper without labels; 2) Russian machine-made paper with stamps of V. Govard’s Troitsk manufacture [Troitskaia fabrika V. Govarda, Троицкая фабрика В. Говарда], Kaluga Governorate. Paper had been made in 1866-1867 (f. 1-270). [ref.: Клепиков С.А. Филиграни и штемпели на бумаге русского и иностранного производства XVII-XX вв. М., 1959. № 42]. Writing style: body text – half-uncial script by several hands, additional texts – half-uncial script by 2 hands. Cyrillic numeric pagination (scriber’s and composer’s).
Decoration: headings, initials, end-pieces with Vermilion, red and black inks - head-pieces with floral ornament – f. 1, 263, 271; frames for head-pieces – f. 5, 17, 49, 70, 99, 121, 154, 166, 168, 171, 206, 222, 235; initials with floral ornament – f. 1, 5, 33, 49, 95, 99, 121, 140, 144, 153, 154., 178, 202, 210, 222, 235, 271, 273; end-pieces with floral ornament – f. 16, 171; end-pieces with floral ornament дополненные игрой текстом - f. 4, 16, 69, 121, 154, 165, 167, 176, 195, 222, 255; end-pieces в стиле игра текстом – f. 49, 234, 234, 263, 267, 295; schematic end-pieces – f. 267.
The body text is the Tsvetnik [Florilegium // Цветник] of Vasilii Gavrilov – collected works of the Old Believers-Pilgrims, published in an illegal print shop in 1879 (attribution is made by A.I. Maltsev (Novosibirsk), and an essay O poznanii Antikhristovoi Prelesti [Experience Antichrist’s deception // О познании антихристовой прелести] of an Old Believer writer of the 2nd half of the 17th century, Fedor the deacon (Ivanov). Extracts from essays of Matthew of Jerusalem , John of Damascus, and Meletius of Antioch and John Chrysostom, The Gospel According to Luke, Acts and Epistles of the Apostles (the Apostle), the Kormchaia Book [Book of the Pilot // Кормчая], the Prolog, and the Books of Psalms about the Antichrist and heretics. The texts were written on blank folios in the 1st half of the 20th century – the Old Believer essay Antichrist, Questions and Answers, a spiritual verse about a monk-skitnik, arguments about the decree of August 2, 1724 of Peter I and early printed books, extracts from Epistles of Apostles, and The Book about the True Oneness of the Faithful Christians of the Eastern Church [Книга о правдивой единости правоверных христиан церкви восточной] of an Western Russian writer, Zachariah Kopystinskii [Захария Копыстинский] (late 16th century -1627.).
Binding: early 18th century, wooden binding covered with leather, and with blind embossing, fragments of 2 clasps; the binding has traces of old restoration – the spine was replaced (18th century). Readers’ notes. Textile bookmarks glued to folios. Enclosure: a piece of blotting paper with readers’ notes– text indexes. Additional texts on f. 182-183, 255-261, 265-268 and numerous readers’ notes made by Maksim Vasilievich Belosludtsev [Максим Васильевич Белослудцев], Vasiliy the monk [инок Василий], a resident of the Pilgrim’s skit located on the banks of the Iksa river in Bakcharsky District. He was arrested in 1933 and released after a few months. He settled in Tomsk-Chulym skits and died in 1945-1947. The manuscript is compiled from texts written in 1870s-1900s with additional texts of the 1st half of the 20th century. 4º (manuscript size – 204 mm х 168 mm, manuscript size - 220 mm х 170 mm, manuscript height – 55 mm). Enclosure – 1 f. (205 mm х 95 mm); 308 f. 1 f. (enclosure); Condition: satisfactory, f. 181, 185-188 (according to author’s pagination) are cut out. The manuscript was acquired and texts were added [supposedly] by the community of Old believers-pilgrims living in the Tomsk-Chulym taiga.
