I love him more than father
and husband, and now I must weep tears of bitter sorrow." After this
they parted, but their love continued undiminished though there was
nothing between them but tender wishes and secret thoughts.
Matrimony had no advantage over the love-alliance, not even the
sanction of the Church. A love-alliance was frequently accompanied by a
ceremony in which a priest officiated. Fauriel describes--without
mentioning his source--such a ceremony as follows: "Kneeling before his
lady, with his folded hands between hers, he dedicated himself to her
service, vowing to be faithful to her until death, and to shield her
from all harm and insults as far as lay within his power. The lady, on
her side, declared her willingness to accept his service, promised to
devote her loftiest feelings to him, and as a rule gave him a ring as a
symbol of their union. Then she raised and kissed him, always for the
first, usually for the last time." The parting of the lovers, too, was a
solemn act, resembling in many ways the dissolution of a marriage.
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