Simon-Germain Millet, Histoire de la Sainte-Larme (1633), ed. Charles Métais (Avignon, 1891)
Le dernier et cinquième vase qui contient tous les aultres est un petit coffre qui a environ un pied de longueur, demy pied de largeur et envrion 4 poulces de hauteur. Il est de boys, mais tout couvert de lames d’or sauf le dessoubz qui est d’argent, et le couvercle dans lequel est enchassé un iaspe en ovale, aux 4 coings de ce couvercle sont gravées les figures d’Abraham, Melchisedech, Moyse et Aaron. Ce coffret est porté sur quatre petitz lyons de cuivre doré. Ses quatre coings sont gravés et cizelez fort artificiellement, et enrichis de deux rangs de perles et pierreries enchassées en or.
Il est enrichi de toutes partz de plusieurs images en relief fort antiques, soubz lesquels images y a diverses inscriptions, lesquelles je passe soubz silence pour parler de celles qui se voient à l’un des boutz du coffre. La se voit représenté en bosse la figure d’un œil humain aupres du naturel, enchassé en or, environné d’un cercle de petites pierreries. Cest œil peut à mon advis représenter l’œil de notre Sauveur Jesus Christ, duquel coula la précieuse Larme, laquelle nous gardons, ou bien le (p. 45) recours qu’ont à la mesme Saincte-Larme ceux qui sont travaillez du mal des yeux. Au dessus de cest œil sont ces mots HENRICO NIKERUS DAT, et au dessoubs HEINRICUS REX, NIKERUS EPISCOPUS. Desquelles paroles on ne scauroit recueillir aultre scens, sinon que quelque evesque nomme Nikerus donna iadis ce coffret au Roy Henry premier (du temps duquel fut fondé le monastere de la S. Trinité de Vendosme), pour y mettre quel-ques reliques, et que le roy le donna depuis y mettre la Saincte-Larme, et voulut que le nom de l’evesque qui luy en avoit faict présent y demeurast gravé avec le sien. Cela ne se peut entendre d’aucun aultre roy Henry que de celuy la, veu que depuis son trespas iusques au regne de Henry second, il y a invervalle de 486. Et il est manifeste que ce coffre est beaucoup plus antique que le règne de ce second Henry qui ne commenca que l’an 1547.
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The final and fifth vase which contains all the others is a small chest which is around a foot in length, a half-foot in width and around 4 poulces in height. It is [made] of wood, but entirely covered with plaques of gold except for underneath which is silver, and the cover in which is contained a jasper oval [and] on the four corners are engraved the figures of Abraham, Melchizedek, Moses and Aaron. This coffer is carried on four small lions in gilded copper. Its four corners are very artificially etched and carved, and decorated with two rows of pearls and stones encased in gold.
It is decorated on all parts with several images in relief [which are] quite old, beneath which images there are diverse inscriptions, which I pass under in silence for speaking of those which are seen on one of the ends of the coffer. There is seen represented in bosse the figure of a human eye close to nature, encased in gold, surrounded by a circle of small stones. This eye can, in my opinion, represent the eye of our Savior Jesus Christ, from whom flowed the precious Tear, the same Holy Tear which we keep as much for those who suffer aliments of the eyes. Above this eye are these words NITKER GIVES [THIS] TO HENRY, and below HENRY KING, NITKER BISHOP. From which words we don't know to gather another meaning, other than some bishop named Nikter gave long ago this chest to the King Henry the first (from the time in which the monastery of the Holy Trinity of Vendôme was founded), for placing there a few relics, and that the king gave it since the Holy Tear was placed there, et he wanted that the name of the bishop who had given it to him carved with his own. This cannot be understood [to mean] any king Henry other than of this one, seeing that since his death until the reign of Henry the second, there is an interval of 486 [years]. And it is obvious that this chest is much more ancient than the reign of this second Henry which only began in the year 1547.
