There were several compelling reasons which prompted me to undertake the work of translating and commenting upon the Vale of Tears by Joseph Hacohen, the sixteenth century physician and historian. First of all, those of us who have been teaching in the area of the Middle Ages have noticed over the past several years a distinct upsurge of interest in the field. Consequently, a number of Medieval Institutes, non-denominational in character and attached to major universitites, have sprung up ...