Vincent of Beauvais

Vincent of Beauvais bōvāˈ [key], 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.

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

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