Polotsky, Simeon.

folio (282 x 172mm.), ff. [2], 151, 91-104, 1-10, printed in red and black, woodcut initials and head- and tailpieces, contemporary russian calf, blind tooled and gilt stamped, clasps and catches, first leaf with 140 x 80mm. loss to upper right-hand margin, a couple of leaves cut away at lower margin with loss (not affecting text), a few leaves stained, binding slightly worn

"Ivaka Feodosie", calligraphic inscription on f. 1 verso

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Simeon Polotsky received a Jesuit schooling in Kiev at the Mohyla College before progressing to philosophy and theology. His was a Latinate mentality and he employed a multiplicity of Latin sources in his work and possessed a substantial library (see Oxford Slavonic Papers XVI (1983), 52-61). In his earlier work there is a mixture of languages (Polish, Latin and Belorussian), which is gradually abandoned in favour of Church Slavonic. In 1656 he entered the monastery at Polotsk, took his vows and taught there. In 1656 he met Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, and in 1663 he entered Moscow's Monastery of Our Saviour. There he taught Latin and, two years later, opened a school at the monastery, which failed to prosper. Polotsky next became tutor to the Tsarevich, Aleksei Alekseivich.

Polotsky's Zhezl pravleniya is a reply to the claims of the Old Ritualists that the liturgical reforms of the patriarch Nikon were heretical. Cleminson knows of no copy in the United Kingdom, although there are dozen or so copies known in Russian libraries. The present copy appears to have its introductory verses in their second state and the presence of the smaller type on f. 88 is common to the third printing, thus suggesting a "mixed issue". A copy of Polotsky's Metrical Psalms (1660) was lot 2395 in part seven of the Macclesfield Library (sale in our rooms, 11 April 2006).

Polotsky was in some ways a man born out of his time, sharing a breadth of reference and depth of feeling for Russia in his poetry, much of which was only published posthumously, that in some ways make him a precursor of Pushkin and the birth of Russian literature proper 150 years after his death.