He is na moore cosyn unto me
Than is this leef that hangeth on the tree!
I clepe hym so, by Seint Denys of Fraunce,
To have the moore cause of aqueyntaunce
Of yow, which I have loved specially
Aboven alle wommen, sikerly.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Shipman’s Tale. The monk declares his love for the merchant’s wife. He tells her the merchant is no more cousin to him than the leaf on the tree, he merely calls him that to be better acquainted with his wife.