J.G. Lockhart's 'Valerius. A Roman Story' 1821

William Blackwood first edition - 1821

I have now read all four J.G. Lockhart's novels, Valerius (1821) being the first to be written. The others I read five years ago and produced a Blog on each - Adam Blair (1822) (Blog 8 May 2021), Reginald Dalton (1823) (Blog 25 July 2021), The History of Matthew Wald (1824) (Blog  26 September 2021). Much has been made of Lockhart's precocious learning. Born in 1794, he attended Glasgow High School and then the University of Glasgow. He fared so well, particularly in Greek studies, that he was offered a Snell Exhibition (available to those with a degree from Glasgow University) to study at Balliol College, Oxford. He was not yet 14! He read not only the Classics, but German, French, Italian and Spanish. Inevitably, he took a First Class Honours degree in Classics. In these days of hyper-inflation of degree success, this would probably be a Triple First class. His four novels, all produced in the early 1820s were dutifully received, but his 'name' was made by his brilliant (and often coruscating) journalism in Blackwood's Magazine; his editorship from 1826 to 1853 of the Quarterly Review; and, in particular, the seminal seven-volume biography of his father-in-law, Sir Walter Scott.

The novel tells the story of a young Roman-British noble, Caius Valerius, who, after the death of his father, sets out from Britain to Rome to claim his inheritance. Accompanied by his loyal slave, Boto,  they journey across the Bay of Biscay and through the Mediterranean, to arrive in the Empire's capital by barge up the Tiber. Another voyager, Sabinus, a Captain of the Praetorian Bands, who had served in all the wars of Agricola, is to prove a solid friend and an integral part of the tale. Valerius is awe-struck by Rome's grandeur - its forums, baths, marble temples - but quickly settles in with his elderly kinsman, a successful orator/lawyer Licinius. Guided by the latter, Valerius learns how to navigate political intrigues and alliances, and listens to philosophical debates between Stoics and Epicureans. He also falls in love with Athanasia, an orphan residing with her cousin Sempronia's wealthy family, the Sempronii. Valerius mixes with the elite of these suburban villas, observing the decadent entertainments there. A major scene is set in the Colosseum, where he witnesses not only gladiatorial combats but the execution of an old Christian man. Gradually, it becomes clear to him that Athanasia is also a member of the clandestine Christian community and he is caught up, by chance, in a meeting where - through treachery - they are all caught by the authorities. He manages to extricate himself, through his friend Sabinus' aid, and, in turn, effects the delivery of Anthanasia, which includes an atmospheric description of time spent hiding in the catacombs. Finally, Valerius, Athanasia and Boto escape to the coast and thence to Britain. The whole story is, in fact, a reminiscence of Valerius, now in his mid-sixties and living the that remote province of an empire, happy, for the most part, in the protection of enlightened, just and benevolent princes.

It is clear that Lockhart had conducted extensive research into the times and mores of the Emperor Trajan's Rome. The novel is set c.100 AD, following the deaths of Domitian and Nerva and charts the recovery from tyranny but also evoking the era's blend of order and underlying friction.  Behind the seemingly rigid hierarchies, class tensions simmer; the lower strata are still exploited; marriages are based on wealth; litigation reigns at the capitol; bloody combats take place in the Colosseum. And, in the novel at least, a major cause of tension is the developing, yet mainly clandestine, spread of that new Jewish faith, Christianity.  Christians are not actively sought out (unlike during the time of Domitian) but are severely punished if accused and unyielding. Lockhart is very much of his own time, and the philosophical debates - featuring Stoicism and its self-reliance contrasting with the Christian call to communal faith and forgiveness - are somewhat heavy-going for this 21st century reader.  The influence of Epictetus' teaching on inner freedom (I do concur with, perhaps, his most famous saying: We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak) amid external tyranny; Stoic resignation to fate; and Christian hope in divine intervention; are all thrown into the mix.  Athanasia's and Valerius' conversions are through intimate enlightenments - the latter convinced that darkness has passed from before his eyes. The author is introducing such categories as the meaning of life and death, time and place, and the role of man in the narrative through the form of philosophical dialogue. As one Reviewer has written: The novel's themes highlight the clash between simplicity and sophistication, loyalty and ambition, and the allure and dangers of empire, making it a notable contribution to the historical fiction genre popular in the early 1800s. Valerius can be viewed as a pioneering example in the classical-historical genre such as the later Bulwer-Lytton's The Last Days of Pompeii (1834), as well as Victorian historical fiction in general. Sir Walter Scott himself endorsed the novel in private correspondence.