And there was one soft breast, as hath been said,[ip]

Which unto his was bound by stronger ties

Than the church links withal; and—though unwed,

That love was pure—and, far above disguise,[iq]

Had stood the test of mortal enmities

Still undivided, and cemented more

By peril, dreaded most in female eyes;[305]

But this was firm, and from a foreign shore

Well to that heart might his these absent greetings pour![ir]