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FAMILY FAVORITES by Alfred Duggan, New York, Pantheon Books, 1960, 318 pp., $4.50. Here is a superb novel with a homosexual as its central figure. The writer's attitude is civilized, urbane, and scholarly. The writing is unadorned. The wit is dry and sardonic. The narrative progress of the story is as inevitable as history itself, as relentless as life.

In the third century A.D. the Roman empire tottered on the brink of collapse, pushed there by a complex of circumstances. The enfeeblement of Senatorial power had been countered by the ascendency of the Roman armies, notably of the Praetorian guard. The Emperor Caracalla, a murderous tyrant, had given immense donatives to the army and thus, despite his fantastic cruelty, kept himself in power. When he was at last assassinated on the orders of Macrinus, a high Praetorian officer, it was the army who made Macrinus emperor. The Senate dared only confirm him. But his reign was shortlived. His discipline of the army was too harsh and his attempt to cut its pay too unpopular. Then it was learned by the soldiers that Macrinus had directed the murder of "The Divine Caracalla." and his fate was sealed.

Stationed in Syria, the Praetorians, disillusioned with Macrinus, took a

one

fancy to a 13-year-old Syrian youth who was chief priest of the temple of the Sun God at Emesa, near Antioch. Beautiful, slender, golden-haired, with large lavender eyes, and endowed with almost superhuman charm, the fact of his kinship with the Divine Caracalla (he was a second cousin, though his grandmother and mother claimed he was a natural son) clinched his right to be emperor.

The third Gallican Legion went over to the side of this lovely boy, soon to be followed by the entire Praetorian guard. Macrinus was overthrown, himself and his son murdered. Bassianus, boy priest of an obscure Oriental sect that worshipped a stone phallus, purportedly the castoff organ of the sun, became the ruler of the civilized world. The god's name was Elagabalus. As his priest king, Bassianus decided to take his name, declaring, and evidently believing himself to be the god incar-

nate.

The three year andnine month reign of this charming and irresponsible adolescent was bizarre, to say the least. It was pretty, but it was pathetic. It was funny, but it was frightening. The Emperor's main love in life was chariot-racing, and his palace swarmed with stable-boys. After his politically expedient marriage to the daughter of a wealthy Roman patrician, there followed a midnight mock-marriage to his favorite charioteer, Gordius, a strapping athlete ten years his senior. In this ceremony Elagabalus played the part of the bride. An hour or two later. costume changed, he wed Hierocles. a beautiful young driver; this time Hierocles was the blushing bride and the masculine role was assumed, with easy conviction, by Elagabalus.

The lad was silly and willful. But it could not be said of him. as it could of so many Roman emperors, that he was cruel. His supposed fa-