All men commend patience, although few are willing to practice it. – Thomas ‘a Kempis Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 - 1471) lived in the midst of the crisis of the late medieval period. Although there had been relative stability and population growth in the High Middle Ages (1000-1299), the Late Middle Ages (1300-1500) began with the challenge of "The Great Famine" (1315-1317). The Great Famine led to crime, disease, and millions dead including children abandoned by parents and elderly letting … [Read more...] about Christian Devotional Classics: The Imitation of Christ