THE Most LAMENTABLE AND Deplorable Accident which on Friday last June 2●. befell Laurence Cawthorn a butcher in St. Nicholas Shambles in Newgate Market, wh● being suspected to be Dead, by the two hasty covetousness and cruelty of his Landlady Mrs. Cook in Pincock-lane, was suddenly and inhumanely buried.  
TOGETHER With the report of his moving of the Body as it was carrying by the Bearers to his Grave, and the treating of his Winding sheet with his own hands, and the Lamentable Shrieks and Groans he made on the Saturday and Sunday following.  
As also the Examination and Commitment of his Landlord and Land-Lady by the Lord Mayor to the Prison of Newgate; And opening the Grave, the body exposed to public view on the Monday following. And the Virdict and Sentence which the Jury passed upon the sight of the Body, & the Examination of several witnesses following.  
For the further satisfaction of the people who have been so extremely misinformed in the particulars of this sad Accident, that the very name of the person is most falsely represented.  
LONDON, Printed for W. Gilbertson, 1661.   

The most lamentable Death of Laurence Cauthorn, who being conceived to be dead, was put into a Coffin, and buried on Friday June 21. and being afterwards heard to have made many hideous Yells and Groans, was taken up on Monday June 24. where he was found to have broken open his shroud, and to have beaten himself to Death in the Coffin.  
AMongst all the Torments that Mankind is capable of, the most dreadful of them, and that which nature most shrinks at is to be buried alive. Death is described to be the most dreadful of all things that are dreadful, because it deprives the body of the soul, by the commerce whereof the body enjoys all the Comforts that Life is capable to entertain; And although through many discontents and miseries, that Life itself is become unpleasant, yet we had rather endure all Calamities then be beholding to death to release us from them. The Old Man that stoops under the burden of his Age, though peradventure he hath all diseases upon him, and all extremities of want to make his Life moreful of Affliction, yet tell him of death, and you shall find by him that he would fain live longer, nay rather than death should seize upon him, you shall find him to be ready to excuse his infirmities, and make you to believe that he is younger, and richer, and stronger, than indeed he is. There is in all Creatures a natural desire of Life; and Death though unavoidable is the Common Enemy against which they do all labour to defend themselves.  
We have read in Histories that some Men having committed the greatest Crimes, have been sentenced to the most grievous punishments, as to be buried in the ground up to the Armpits, and sometimes to the Chin, and all manner of sustenance and comfort being denied them, to starve in the open Air, and cry aloud for that Bread which it is Death for any man to give unto them. There is nothing in Nature that doth make men more hearty to desire death then Famine; For Hunger is so violent that it breaketh through Stonewalls, Women have been Recorded to feed on their own Children being compelled thereunto by Hunger, and Notorious Malefactors hanging alive on Gibbets have been known to feed on their own Arms, or any other part of them that their Teeth could reach. But in this extremity (although there is no question but the dolour is very great) there is something to give some little comfort; as the sight of the Passengers whose Pity and whose Prayers they have, the variety of Objects both of Beasts and Birds, and some hope of Life whiles any thing alive is seen.  
But from the Grave there is no redemption; hath any one (saith the Wise man) returned from the Grave to acquaint us with the news of the Dead, and the sad passages in the chambers of the grave? There is heard no joyful tread of Friends, no Gratulations of acquaintance, but all Oblivion, Dust, and endless darkness.  
We have heard of some who have been buried, and yet have been both seen and numbered gain amongst the living, as of the Prophet Ionas who lay three days and three nights in the belly of the Whale. He had surely died if he had not been buried; we have heard of others who by some sudden dilapidations having been covered with rubbish, have as suddenly been rescued from that Ruin, and being but dust themselves, have ever afterwards acknowledged their thankfulness to the Almighty who did thus deliver them from the malice of the Dust. But in this strange▪ visitation whereof we come now to speak, we find a Man dead, struck dead (if we will believe the Verdict of the Searchers) A young Man in the strength and flourish of his youth: his complexion promised health, and his youth the access of many years, and we find this man to be buried, and to be buried alive.  
The Searchers who too hastily said he was dead aught to have a new search to be made after them, for it is to believed that this young man is not alone in this Example, but that many others have suffered in the like nature, and who might have been heard to make the complaint, had their Graves been digged no deeper than this young Man's was? for if we may believe report, they made such haste to bury him, that the Grave at the most was not half a yard in the depth.  
His Name was Laurence Cawthorn, by his trade a Butcher, and having not long before lived out the time of his Apprenticeship with commendable trust and industry, he was now a Journyman to a Butcher in the Shambles Beyond Newgate.  
To be more ready to discharge the trust reposed in him, he took a lodging at a Victuallers house, whose name is William Cook in Pincock-lane, and having on Thursday toiled and sweated much in the employment of his Trade, he in the Evening went to another Victualling house hard by, with some of his acquaintance to refresh himself. He appeared then to be well and lusty, but whether he drank too much of Hot Waters (as some say he did) or whether he was to high in any other drink it is uncertain; it seemeth to me that neither the one or the other was the occasion of this lamentable accident, for on his coming home, I find him very careful of his business, as it became an honest, and a temperate man to be. He desired some that were in the house to call him by three of the Clock, because Friday being market day he had many Sheep and Lambs to kill, which must be ready to be sold in the Shambles about seven or eight of the Cloek, a great task, he said, he was to perform in a few hours.  
The Task indeed was greater than he thought for little thinking that at that time he was to encounter hn the next morning with so sore an enemy as Death.  
Because he would be more early to follow his business he did not on that night go to bed, but only lay on it, his resolution being fixed to be dressing of meat for the next days Market by three of the clock in the Morning.  
Much about that time he was called upon (according to his desires) to rise to follow his Employment, they knoked at the door to waken him, and knocked again, and again with louder violence, but hearing no answer returned, they went down the stairs again, uncertain of the Event, and disputing with themselves what the matter might be.  
The Morning growing Older, and all the Butchers thereabouts being busy in their employments, the Master of the Victualling house where he lay, whose name is Cook, did go up the stairs himself to waken him, he often called upon him by his name, and shaking and beating at the door he bade him rise, and told him how much already of the Morning was lost, which to redeem he counselled him presently to rise and follow his Business; but hearing not the least noise in the Chamber and finding the door to be fast bolted he much admired what might be the reason of it.  
Going down the stairs he met with his wife, & some others, where after a little respite of consultation it was concluded on by all to have the door broke open.  
The Smith immediately was sent for, and it was put in execution; Entering into the Chamber they find their Lodger lying all along much like a dead man. Some say that he opened his eyes twice or thrice when he heard his Name called upon, and when they did struck him & rub him to awaken. There are some others who were then in the room that say he hardly opened his eyes at all; but yet they perceived that still there was warmth & life in him, whereupon the Master of the house and his wife pull off his , and fairly lay him in the bed. And a discourse there was amongst the Neighbours and themselves what should be the reason of so great a distemper.  
It is not to be dissembled, but some reported that on the night before he had drank off with some few of his Companions a whole quart of hot Waters, and they imputed (as indeed well they might) the violence of that dead sleep upon him to the violence of the hot waters, the excess whereof had caused so profound a slumber.  
The Master of the Victualling house where he lay not knowing what to do, repairs to a Neighbour hard by, who also keeps a Victualling house, and where this young Butcher for the most part rendezvouzed when he had any hours of leisure to drink with his Friends, he calls him about five of the clock in the morning, and acquaints him in what a desperate condition Laurence Cawthorn (for so was the Butcher called) lay.  
He assures him that he went off well from his house about nine or ten of the clock at night at the furthest, and wondering what might be the occasion of this distemper, he goes along with him, and looking on him, he much laments his Condition, and concludes he is a dead Man.  
There are some (but I know not with what truth) that do give forth, that this Laurence Cawthorn was subject to have strange Fits, & that sometimes he would lie in a trance like a dead man for many hours together, they conjectured that the heat of the waters meeting with such a distemper when it was growing on him it did render his present condition so extremely desperate.  
Howsoever it was; about six or seven of the clock in the morning, all that did look upon him did conclude him to be dead, and that there was not the least sign or appearance▪ of life in him.  
Hereupon the Searchers were sent for, who turn and look upon the Corpse, and with the more Circumspection because there were one or two at that time below the Stairs, who said, that at the time of his departing, there were some Spots appeared upon his breast, which presently afterwards did vanish away and go in again.  
The Searchers gave no heed to that report, but concluded that he died of the Quinsey, a Disease which swelling in the throat doth in a short time deprive the person that is afflicted with it of the use of his Breath.  
They now provide for his Burial. The Woman in whose house he died would have it performed that very Evening, which hath brought no small suspicion upon her she desired his Goods, which indeed were not very considerable, she had been the occasion that the young Man made more haste to his Grave than the course of Nature doth allow. She takes her husband with her, and repaireth to the other Victualler where Laurence for the most part was accustomed to go, to know what he would contribute to the burial; he told her that Laurence died twenty shillings or thereabouts in his debt which he was well able to prove, and let him have but his  he would bury him like a Christian.  
This she seemed unwilling to grant & faltered in her accounts, sometimes pretending that her dead Tenant owed her so much Money, and sometimes so much, which the neighbours that heard of it were unwilling to receive into their belief; for it was agreed upon on all sides Laurence was an honest man, and paying but 8 d. a week for his Lodging could not be much in her debt; and if he had been backward to pay, yet her greediness of Money was such, especially where she found any hopes of it to smile upon her, that she would not let him. She makes use of his  for her own advantage & makes all things ready for the Burial.  
While the neighbours are murmuring at this dispatch, & that things are carried in▪ so great a hurry, the Bearers are come to carry their fatal Burden to the Grave. Some there are who report that in the way one of them perceived the Corpse to stir in the Coffin but it is not to be believed that any Man can be guilty of so great an inhumanity.  
The Body was buried in the common Churchyard belonging to Christ Church and it is reported by divers, that they heard on the Saturday & Sunday following great groan and shriekings in the same place where the Body was buried, and one acquainting another with the wonder of it, they were all equally▪ amazed and affrighted.  
On Monday morning June 24. the dead Body was digged up, which was not buried above half a yard in the Ground: and it being exposed to the public View every one spoke of it as his Fancy did suggest unto him. Some said that the Shroud was torn in pieces; others that the eyes were swollen, and the brains beaten out of the head, and clots▪ of blood were to be seen at the mouth, and the breast all over black and blue. The Coroner was sent for and a Jury impanelled, who are to give their Virdict in tomorrow, being Thursday June 25. In the mean time my Lord Mayor hath committed the Man & Woman of the house where the Butcher died to Newgate, where the Law▪ is to pass upon them according to their demerit.  
FINIS.