Jean d'Outremeuse

Ly Myreur des Histors ("The Mirror of Histories") is a more ambitious narrative, purporting to be a history of the world from the flood up to the 14th century. It combines Vincent de Beauvais's early works Ogier le Danois and the Geste de Liège into a universal history, from the fall of Troy to 1340, mixing real and legendary events. The Liège herald, Louis Abry (1643–1720), refers to the lost fourth book of the Myreur des Hystors of Johans des Preis, styled d'Oultremeuse. In this "Jean de Bourgogne, dit a la Barbe", is said to have revealed himself on his deathbed to d'Oultremeuse, whom he made his executor, and to have described himself in his will as "messire Jean de Mandeville, chevalier, comte de Montfort en Angleterre et seigneur de l'isle de Campdi et du château Pérouse". It is added that, having had the misfortune to kill an unnamed count in his own country, he engaged himself to travel through the three parts of the world, arrived at Liège in 1343, was a great naturalist, profound philosopher and astrologer, and had a remarkable knowledge of physics. Tresorier de philosophie naturelle des pierres precieuses (a lapidary) is a compilation of recipes for making fake gems by coloring glasses by various means. It is of interest to glassworkers or historians seeking to understand the manufacture of ancient glass or fake gems adorning various pieces of goldsmith's work.