--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Early in 1203 John sent instructions to…" description: "\"“Early in 1203 John sent instructions to the royal servant Hubert de Burgh, who was serving as Arthur’s jailer, demanding that he should blind and cast..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/dan-jones-38716_castrate-prisoner_early-in-1203-john-sent-instructions-to_354997.jpg" --- # Early in 1203 John sent instructions to the royal servant… ![“Early in 1203 John sent instructions to the royal servant Hubert de Burgh, who was serving as Arthur’s jailer, demanding that he should blind and castrate his prisoner. Fortunately for Arthur, de Burgh felt a pang of conscience and could not carry out the grisly sentence on the sixteen-year-old…” quote by Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/dan-jones-38716_castrate-prisoner_early-in-1203-john-sent-instructions-to_354997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/dan-jones-38716_castrate-prisoner_early-in-1203-john-sent-instructions-to_354997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/dan-jones-38716_castrate-prisoner_early-in-1203-john-sent-instructions-to_354997.jpg) > ““Early in 1203 John sent instructions to the royal servant Hubert de Burgh, who was serving as Arthur’s jailer, demanding that he should blind and castrate his prisoner. Fortunately for Arthur, de Burgh felt a pang of conscience and could not carry out the grisly sentence on the sixteen-year-old, who pleaded for pity.”” [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A medieval ruler ordered a brutal punishment, but a servant's conscience stopped it, showing compassion can override cruelty. **In simple terms:** Compassion can halt cruelty. Key Takeaway Listen to conscience over orders. Themes morality compassion authority Mood reflective serious Type historical ethical When to use this quote - judicial decisions - military orders - personal ethics - historical analysis Key Concepts humanity ethical dilemma power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What would you do when orders conflict with ethics? - How does empathy change harsh systems? A Different Perspective Power can suppress conscience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind Castrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-castrate-3270873/) [Castrate Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castrate-prisoner-3270869/) [Jailer Demanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jailer-demanding-3270871/) [Servant Hubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant-hubert-3270870/) [Serving Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serving-arthur-3270872/) ## Related quotes > [What I see is not what I am looking at but what I am looking with. And so my first and principal duty...is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/what-i-see-is-not-what-i-am-looking-at-but-what-i-am-looking-with-and/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [“parents were summoned for interrogation, and he was tried and hanged at Northampton on July 23. (During his trial he claimed that his pet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/parents-were-summoned-for-interrogation-and-he-was-tried-and-hanged/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [ “who declared that they donated out of their “fear \[of\] the pains of hell and wish to see the joys of Paradise.”16 The brothers… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/who-declared-that-they-donated-out-of-their-fear-of-the-pains-of-hell/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [IBM customers of any size can now rest assured that Double-Take, the most innovative, flexible and reliable data protection solution on the market, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/ibm-customers-of-any-size-can-now-rest-assured-that-double-take-the/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [“On December 29 four heavily armed men smashed through a side door to Canterbury Cathedral with an ax. 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And so my first and principal duty...is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/what-i-see-is-not-what-i-am-looking-at-but-what-i-am-looking-with-and/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [“The nobility of the kingdom grieved at being reduced to such ruin by the supine simplicity of one man,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/the-nobility-of-the-kingdom-grieved-at-being-reduced-to-such-ruin-by/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [“Had Henry III been richer, less beset by other problems and a more competent military strategist, securing Sicily for his second son might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/had-henry-iii-been-richer-less-beset-by-other-problems-and-a-more/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [Sears is offering free $10 gift cards to the first few hundred shoppers. 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The archbishop of Canterbury was waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/on-december-29-four-heavily-armed-men-smashed-through-a-side-door-to/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [IBM customers of any size can now rest assured that Double-Take, the most innovative, flexible and reliable data protection solution on the market, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/ibm-customers-of-any-size-can-now-rest-assured-that-double-take-the/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [ “who declared that they donated out of their “fear \[of\] the pains of hell and wish to see the joys of Paradise.”16 The brothers… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jones/who-declared-that-they-donated-out-of-their-fear-of-the-pains-of-hell/) [Dan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jones/) > [“parents were summoned for interrogation, and he was tried and hanged at Northampton on July 23. 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