Works by Vincent of Beauvais
This section is under construction.
Around 1246, having completed a first edition of the Speculum Maius, Vincent of Beauvais was appointed lector at the Cistercian abbey of Royaumont. He served there as a reader and commenter of texts and as a preacher. Vincent probably remained at Royaumont until about 1259. During this period he revised the Speculum Maius several times, and composed a series of theological treatises.
Political Works – Opus universale de statu principis
Vincent began to work, late in 1247 or early in 1248, on a political compendium, an opus universale de statu principis, probably with the encouragement of king Louis IX of France. The king had founded Royaumont in 1228. His children were educated here, and Louis himself retired here several times to meditate and participate in the abbey's spiritual life. A few places in Vincent's works testify to the king's support of his scholarly activities, and the attendance of the king and the royal family at Vincent's sermons.
As the Introduction to Robert J. Schneider's edition (1995, p. xxi) of De morali principis institutione shows, Vincent conceived the opus universale de statu principis as a work of four books. These books deal with
... “... the status of the prince and the entire royal court, and on the administration of the commonwealth and the governance of the whole realm”. [Vincent] intended to focus on the mores of princes and courtiers, and recommend to the various governors and officers of the commonwealth - “princes, knights (milites), counselors and ministers, bailifs and provosts, whether residing in the court or administering in the king's territories - whatever pertains to probity of life and the salvation of the soul.” One volume would provide advice on the education of the royal children. [The work was] designed to address matters relating to the modes of life, responsibilities, duties, and education of rulers and their personal and official families ....
The opus universale de statu principis remained uncompleted at Vincent's death: only the first book, the De morali principis institutione, and the fourth, the De eruditione filiorum nobilium he finished, be it in reversed order. Probably Vincent had prepared an outline of the entire work organizing general subject matter and specific topics into books and chapters. It enabled him to set aside the order of composition and complete first, at the request of queen Marguerite, the fourth book, the De eruditione filiorum nobilium, for the royal tutor Simon the Cleric. Vincent included in it specific references to books one, two and three; for these books two and three, they give us a few indications of their contents.
Vincent completed the De eruditione filiorum nobilium before the end of 1250. Then the work on the opus universale de statu principis halted, since Vincent became involved in a thorough revision of the Speculum Maius. During the late 1250s he must have resumed the work, at the urging of Thibaut V, count of Champagne and king of Navarre, who had married Louis' and Marguerite's daughter Isabelle. The request was conveyed through Humbert of Romans, Magister General of the Dominican Order.
Due to intervening tasks, Vincent was unable to give the opus universale de statu principis his undivided attention. From a few places in Vincent's works it may be concluded, that he had left Royaumont by 1260 and completed the first book, the De morali principis institutione afterwards. Vincent submitted this first book to Louis and Thibaut sometime before he died. Vincent probably did not succeed to complete books two and three: no manuscripts of these books have ever been identified, nor any references to them are known, apart from Vincent's own words in De eruditione filiorum nobilium.
Theological works
Spurious works
Ps.-Vincent of Beauvais, De fructibus paenitentiae
This work, compiled by an anonymous Italian Dominican, is sometimes confused with Vincent's Liber de paenitentia. Similar incipits, similar subject matter, and the fact that part of De fructibus paenitentiae was compiled from the Liber de paenitentia, caused this confusion.
Ps.-Vincent of Beauvais, Sanctorum legendarium
The author of this legendary is Jean de Mailly / Johannes de Malliaco.
Ps.-Vincent of Beauvais, Sermones
At least four manuscripts contain sermons that are attributed to Vincent of Beauvais. One of these copies (Ms. Paris, Bibl. de l'Université 748) presents in fact sermons by Vincent Ferrer / Vincentius Ferrarii. There is no positive evidence on Vincent's authorship of the sermons in the other manuscripts.
