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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.
Gist of Idea
Our obedience to the king erases any crimes we commit for him
Source
William Shakespeare (Henry V [1599]), quoted by Michael Walzer - Just and Unjust Wars 03
Book Ref
Walzer,Michael: 'Just and Unjust Wars' [Penguin 1984], p.39
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.
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