Vincent of Beauvais

Vincent of Beauvais (bōvā`), c.1190–c.1264, French Dominican friar. He was the author of three of the four parts of the Speculum majus, of great value as a summary of the knowledge of his time. The part entitled "Morals" is of unknown authorship, but is not by him. The three parts written by him are entitled "Nature," "Instruction," and "History." In "Nature," the order followed is that of the six days of creation described in Genesis. "Instruction" ranges from the liberal arts to the mechanical arts. The "History" epitomizes the story of man since Adam as it was understood by 13th-century scholars.

Bibliography

See A. Gabriel, The Educational Ideas of Vincent of Beauvais (2d ed. 1962).

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Vincent of Beauvais

(born 1190, Beauvais?, France—died 1264, Paris) French scholar and encyclopaedist. A Dominican priest (c. 1220), he became lector and chaplain to the court of King Louis IX. By 1244 he had compiled Speculum majus (“Great Mirror”), an 80-book compendium of knowledge that included human history from the Creation to the time of Louis IX, natural history and science known to the West, and a compendium of European literature, law, politics, and economics. His work influenced scholars and poets up to the 18th century. See also encyclopaedia.