The Middle Ages was a time to try men’s souls. Wars, epidemics, and disasters were characteristic to the medieval era, but in spite of such obstacles civilization survived. Laboring tirelessly with the knowledge at hand, individuals such as Roger Bacon, Marco Polo, Dante Alighieri, Ibn al-Nafis, and Nicholas of Salerno gave of themselves to their fellow man, while such works as The Tale of Genji, Diamond Sutra, The Canterbury Tales, One Thousand and One Nights, and, of course, the Magna Carta improved humankind’s station.