The
rest of the inscription (probably consisting of two more lines)
was not visible. The stone appears to have been anchored in cement,
perhaps because people had tried to remove it. Unfortunately,
the cement covered the last lines. Is this reference to "consumption's
vampire grasp" merely metaphorical, or does it suggest that
Simon or his older sister who had predeceased him was exhumed
in a desperate attempt to save his younger sister, who died three
years after Simon? We hope that further research will reveal the
answer. For now, we must ask, "What does it mean?" |
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