Let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings: How some have been depos'd, some slain in war, Some haunted by the ghosts they have depos'd, Some poison'd by their wives, some sleeping kill'd; All murder'd. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE All kings are foes of all the men they rule. HORTENSE FLEXNER He who reflects attentively upon the duties of a king, trembles at the sight of a crown. DE LEVIS Kings have to deal with their neighbors, their wives, their children, their prelates or clergy, their nobles, their second-nobles or gentlemen, their merchants, their commons, and their men of war; and from all these arise dangers, if care and circumspection be not used. FRANCIS BACON The metaphor of the king as the shepherd of his people goes back to ancient Egypt. Perhaps the use of this particular convention is due to the fact that, being stupid, affectionate, gregarious and easily stampeded, the societies formed by sheep are most like human ones. NORTHROP FRYE Deception is the knowledge of kings. CARDINAL RICHELIEU