“Dear as the vital warmth that feeds my life;
Dear as these eyes, that weep in fondness o’er thee.”
Thomas Otway
Venice Preserv'd
Venice Preserv'd (1682), Act v. Sc. 1. Compare: "Dear as the light that visits these sad eyes; Dear as the ruddy drops that warm my heart", Thomas Gray, The Bard, part i. stanza 3.
