Vincent of Beauvais

Vincent was a French scholar and encyclopedist. A Dominican priest, he became lector and chaplain to the court of King Louis IX. By 1244, he had compiled Speculum majus, an 80-book compendium of knowledge that included human history from 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. What does the work's title mean? More...