THE
DANGER
OF
Premature Interment.
Plummer and Brewis, Printers,
Love-Lane, Eastcheap.
H. Corbould del.Hopwood sc.
The body of Tulliolæ, the daughter ofCicero, discovered entire and uncorrupted, ina Sepulchre, 1500 Years after Burial.
Vide Page 127.
Publish’d by W. Simpkin & R. Marshall Decʳ 1815.
THE
DANGER
OF
Premature Interment,
PROVED FROM MANY
REMARKABLE INSTANCES
Of People who have recovered after being laid out for dead,
and of others entombed alive, for want of being
properly examined prior to Interment.
Also a Description of
The Manner the Ancient Egyptians, and other Nations,
Preserved and venerated their Dead,
And a curious Account of their
SEPULCHRAL EVER BURNING LAMPS
And
Mausoleums.
Likewise the pernicious effects of burying in the body of
Churches, and confined Church Yards pointed out,
whereby many valuable lives have been lost
to the Public, and their Friends.
SELECTED FROM HISTORICAL RECORDS.
BY
JOSEPH TAYLOR.
“To revive nailed up in a Coffin! A return of Life in Darkness,
Distraction, and Despair! The Brain can scarce sustain the
reflection, in our coolest moments.”
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR W. SIMPKIN AND R. MARSHALL,
Stationers Court, Ludgate-Street.
1816.
[Pg 5]
INTRODUCTION.
Amongst the many dreadful calamitiesincident to human nature, none surely is morehorrid, nor can the thought be more appalling,than even in idea to be buried alive;—thevery soul sickens at the thought. Yet terriblyfrightful as the imagination paints such a direevent, these things have been. Historicalrecord clearly demonstrates the melancholytruth, and many a valuable member ofsociety, has, I am fully persuaded, times past,[Pg 6]been prematurely consigned to the gravebefore the vital spark has been extinct. Toprevent, if possible, such deplorable eventsfrom ever again happening, is my principalmotive in forming the present volume. Thesubstance of a motto, I have somewhere seen,several years since, on a silver medal, whereonis prettily displayed the figure of a boyblowing with his mouth at a piece of lightedcharcoal nearly extinguished, in hopes of againre-invigorating the flame, has ever since beenindelibly impressed on my mind. “W