Cadenus and Vanessa

Cadenus and Vanessa,
a poem by Swift , written in 1713 for Esther Vanhomrigh (‘Vanessa’). It is the narrative, in mock classical form, of the author's relations with ‘Vanessa’ and an apology for his conduct. ‘Cadenus’ is an obvious anagram of ‘Decanus’, dean. Miss Vanhomrigh evidently took no exception to his statement of the facts, since she preserved the poem and desired it to be published. It appeared in 1726 , three years after her death.