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23565 | Our obedience to the king erases any crimes we commit for him [Shakespeare] |
Full Idea: We know enough if we know we are the king's men. Our obedience to the king wipes the crime of it out of us. | |
From: William Shakespeare (Henry V [1599]), quoted by Michael Walzer - Just and Unjust Wars 03 | |
A reaction: He is referring to the slaughter of the French servants behind the lines at Agincourt. A classic expression of 'I was just obeying orders', which was rejected at Nurnberg in 1946. Depends on the seriousness of the crime. |