Lavengro · Chapter
The Old Radical explained
The author recounts his encounter with an old Radical friend who had betrayed him by securing a government appointment for himself after years of professing that the author was the only one qualified for it.
What happens
The author recounts his encounter with an old Radical friend who had betrayed him by securing a government appointment for himself after years of professing that the author was the only one qualified for it. The Radical, now a well-paid official, attacks the author over his book 'Lavengro', accusing him of grumbling and presenting a melancholy view of human nature. The author defends his work as a book inculcating virtue, love of country, learning, and genuine religion, while condemning the Radical's hypocrisy and jobbery. The chapter includes a flashback to their first meeting when the author was eighteen, where the Radical displayed vehement anti-Church and anti-monarchy sentiments.
Themes in this chapter
Honor and Morality
The author contrasts his own integrity with the Radical's base behavior, emphasizing the moral decay of those who betray principles for personal gain.
Social Class and Gentility
The Radical's children are described as having 'ultra notions of gentility,' and the author critiques the pretensions of those who seek status through official positions.
Religion and Priestcraft
The author declares his hatred for priestcraft, especially that of Rome, and notes that some of the Radical's children converted to Popery while others joined a dissenting chapel.
Characters to notice
- Lavengro
The author and narrator, who calls on his old Radical friend to retrieve literary property and defends his book 'Lavengro' against calumny.
- The Landlord
The master of the house at whose table the author first met the Radical; mentioned in the flashback.
- The Reverend Mr. Platitude
Mentioned as the minister whose chapel some of the Radical's children joined.
- Finn Mac Coul
Referenced in the author's youthful attempt to discuss Celtic literature with the Radical.
- The Doctor
A Welsh doctor who argued with the Radical about Ferdinand VII and the Duke of Wellington; served in the Peninsula.
- The Priest
Mentioned in the context of the author's hatred for priestcraft, especially that of Rome.
- The Old Man
The old Radical himself, the primary antagonist of the chapter, who obtained a government appointment through jobbery.
Key passages
“All this with indignation I have hurl'd At the pretending part of this proud world, Who, swollen with selfish vanity, devise False freedoms, formal cheats, and holy lies, Over their fellow fools to tyrannise.”
The author quotes Rochester to justify his own harsh language against hypocrites and pretenders who use false ideals to oppress others.
The author concludes the chapter by defending his unmeasured expressions as righteous indignation against deceit and tyranny.
“This very dirty man, with his very dirty face, Would do any dirty act, which would get him a place.”
The author summarizes the character of the old Radical as someone willing to perform any dishonorable deed to secure a government position.
This couplet introduces the chapter and encapsulates the author's contempt for the Radical's opportunism.
“But for that fellow, I should never have been base; for had he not existed, I could not have been so, at any rate against him.”
The author explains that the Radical hates him because his own betrayal makes him resent the innocent cause of his guilt.
This psychological insight into the Radical's malice illustrates the author's understanding of human nature.
