VINCENT OF BEAUVAIS was born between 1190 and 1200. Sometime after 1250, when he became librarian of the Royal Library of Louis IX of France, he began his Speculum majus. He wrote three parts: Speculum naturale, based on the works of Plato, Pliny, ibn-Sina, and Isidore of Seville; Speculum doctrinale, which combines theology and the history of art, industry, society, and learning; and Speculum historiale, a history of the world from the Christian point of view, published by Caxton in 1490 as The Myrrour of the World. A fourth part, the spurious Speculum morale, was added between 1310 and 1325. This huge work establishes Vincent as chief of medieval encyclopedists (NCE XIV: 679).

Chaucer shows some acquaintance with this work, especially in The Monk's Tale and the Legend of Good Women. The old wife quotes from a passage in Speculum historiale, X.71, WBT 1195-1200. The God of Love refers to Vincent's Estoryal Myrour, which gives examples of virtuous women in Book VI.cviii-cxxii, LGW G 307.

Vincent occurs once, medially, LGW G 307.