You Are The Apple Of My Eye

An illustration of a  blue apple on a white background encircled by blue text and a blue border. 

This phrase has a long history. It first appears in Alfred the Great's book written in Old English, Gregory's Pastoral Care, which is the oldest known book written in English, dating to the late ninth century AD. This book is a translation of an older text written by Pope Gregory in the sixth century AD. It can also be found in the King James Bible, and even Shakespeare used it in A Midsummer Night's Dream in the late 1500's.