her. Between his two admirers, for such they were, Swift
had a difficult course to steer. To Stella he was linked by strong ties
of companionship, and to her, according to some authorities, he was
secretly married. Whether this were the case or not she had the larger
claims upon him, and if one of the twain had to be sacrificed, Vanessa
must be the victim.

In _Cadenus and Vanessa_ (1713) a poem which every student of Swift will
read, the author strove to achieve an impossibility. His aim was to
ignore the lover and to assume the character of a master to an
intelligent and favourite pupil, or of a father to a daughter. His
dignity and age, he says, forbade the thought of warmer feelings.

'But friendship in its greatest height,
A constant rational delight,
On Virtue's basis fixed to last
When love's allurements long are past,
Which gently warms but cannot burn,
He gladly offers in return;
His want of passion will redeem
With gratitude, respect, esteem;
With that devotion we bestow
When goddesses appear below.'

And this was Swift's method of dealing with a woman who confessed the
'inexpressible passion' she had for him, and that his 'dear image' was
always before her eyes. 'Sometimes,' she wrote, 'you strike me with that
prodigious awe, I tremble with fear; at other times a charming
compassion shines through your countenance which moves my soul.' Swift
had acted far more than indiscreetly in encouraging a friendship with
Vanessa, and when she followed him to Dublin, in the neighbourhood of
which she had some property, he knew not how to escape from the snare
his own folly had laid. To Stella he had given 'friendship and esteem,'
but, as he is careful to add, 'ne'er admitted love a guest;' the same
cold gift was offered to Vanessa, but in vain. According to a report,
the authority of which is doubtful, Miss Vanhomrigh wrote to Stella, in
1723, asking if she was Swift's wife. She replied that she was, and sent
the letter she had received to Swift. In a towering passion he rode to
Vanessa's house, threw the letter on the table, and left again without
saying a word. The blow was fatal, and Vanessa died soon afterwards,
revoking her will in Swift's favour and leaving to him the legacy of
remorse. Having told in outline this episode in Swift's story, I return
to the _Journal to Stella_, which dates from September 2nd, 1710, to
June 6th, 1713.

Little did Swift imagine that the c