in the manuscripts, but also in the printed copies of the church books, measures should be adopted to get a corrected transcript of them made out according to the Greek originals. It was farther agreed, that all the ancient copies found in monasteries and churches, both in the Greek and Slavonian languages, should be collected and sent to Moscow, for the purpose of assisting those to whom the work of correction should be entrusted. At the same time, the Tzar sent an epistle to the patriarch of Constantinople, informing him of what had been proposed and agreed to in the council, and requiring the advice and co-operation of the eastern clergy. In answer to this, in the following year, the patriarchs of the East sent to the Tzar about 500 volumes of Greek manuscripts of the church books, some of which were six and others seven hundred years old. Makarie, patriarch of Antioch, also came into Russia, and in 1655 another council of the chief clergy was called, at which he was present, along with Nikon, patriarch of Russia, and Gabriel, patriarch of Siberia.

Thus the correction of the church books was again undertaken; but was still left unfinished, in consequence of the disagreement which took place at that time between Nikon and the Tzar. Tzar Alexie Michaelovitch, however, was deter

mined to have the work accomplished, and accordingly called another council in 1667, at which the patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch were present, with a number of the Metropolitans and bishops of the Eastern church. At this council, Nikon was degraded from his high office, for his ambitious and audacious conduct in excommunicating the Tzar, and Joseph was ordained patriarch in his place. The correction of the church books was also brought to an end, and measures adopted to furnish the churches with correct printed editions, in place of the former manuscript copies.

While the Tzar and the chief clergy were engaged in this important and necessary work, and in regulating the affairs of the church, in order to have the service uniform throughout the whole empire, the Strigolniks secretly were zealous in creating disaffection among the people towards their spiritual leaders, under the old pretext, that instead of correcting, they were employed in corrupting the holy books, and were evidently changing the faith of their fathers, so that the visible church was now become a den of thieves, and the presence of the Holy Spirit withdrawn from her ordinances.

Under these turbulent leaders, the ancient ma-. nuscript copies of the church books, and of the Scriptures, together with the old pictures, were

eagerly sought after, and considered as the only charter of their hope and inheritance of eternal life.

One of the most zealous and distinguished of these sectarians, was a priest called Nikit, who, under the pretence of defending the old faith, had an active hand in producing the rebellion, which in 1682 took place in Moscow among the Strelitzi. So daring and enthusiastic was Nikit, that he was accustomed not only to harangue the multitude in the public places of Moscow, but even to enter the churches in the time of service, and declaim against the patriarch Nikon and the clergy, whom he indiscriminately styled the servants of antichrist.

This happened in the reign of Ioan and Peter, who, with the view of preventing the evil consequences which were likely to ensue from this convulsion, ordered a council of the chief clergy to be held, in which the objections of Nikit and his party were to be answered, and, if possible, the differences between them and the church reconciled. This council consisted of eleven metropolitans, four archbishops, and a number of the lower clergy, with the patriarch at their head. Here Nikit and his party accused the whole council of having abandoned the faith of their fathers, and of following the antichristian opinions of Nikon

T

the patriarch; and when the contest became hot between Nikit and one of the archbishops, the former smote the archbishop on the breast in presence of the whole council, and then came out among the multitude, exclaiming that he had confuted and overcome the followers of the antichristian Nikon.

At last, however, Nikit was laid hold of by the civil law, condemned, and executed, together with the ringleaders of his party; and having thus suffered in defence of the old faith, he is considered as a martyr by the present Raskolniks.

The chief causes of disaffection in these sectarians towards the mother church, appear to have been the numerous corrections which were introduced into the printed copies of the church service; for though these were absolutely necessary, both to restore the right meaning of the text, and to render the service uniform throughout the empire; yet these men being too ignorant themselves to examine into the truth of the first, and unwilling to admit the smallest necessity for the second, allowed themselves to be persuaded through the subtle insinuations of a few illiterate and enthusiastic leaders, that the days of antichrist were now come, and that the visible church had fallen under his power.

After Nikit, the next who appeared at the head

of the Raskolniks in Moscow, was a priest called Kozma, who, in order to avoid the fate of his predecessor, fled, in 1668, with a number of his adherents, from Moscow, and took refuge in the Ukrain, on the borders of Poland, at a place called Staradubofsk, which even at this day is one of the principal seats of the Raskolniks. Here they were soon joined by multitudes of the common people from every quarter of the empire.

Such only were admitted as brethren by Kozmà, as conformed to the following conditions: Those who have been baptized since the days of Nikon, shall be rebaptized; and such as were baptized before the days of Nikon, shall be anointed with ointment according to the ordinance of the chrism. Preparatory to either of these mysteries, forty days of fasting and prayer were appointed, and the strictest charges were laid upon all the members of this new society to have no connection with heretics, either in prayer, in eating, or in drinking; strictly to avoid argument with them on the cause of their separation from the church; and never to perform their devotions in the churches of heretics, or before their new pictures of the saints.

While this first church of the Raskolniks at Staradubofsk was forming, another no less numerous was soon after founded at Vetka, only