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He that draws his sword...

Posted by Smokey Stover on December 10, 2007

In Reply to: He that draws his sword... posted by Aitch on December 10, 2007

: Does anyone know the meaning of 'He that draws his sword against his prince must throw away the scabbard'? Appears in the novel by Alan Furst: The Foreign Correspondent.

Anyone who draws his sword against his prince will not need his scabbard, since he won't live to use it. Perhaps it's just a poetic way of saying that once you've drawn the sword against the prince, only your death will permit you to put your sword down, as you will be busy until then defending yourself. You surely won't have time to throw your scabbard away, and you won't actually need to in any case.
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