# Meaning of a Shakespeare line

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-a-shakespeare-line/334750>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 8, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-a-shakespeare-line/334750 "2005-12-08T20:54:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-a-shakespeare-line/334750/1 "2005-12-08T20:54:19Z")

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In Act 5, scene iii of _Richard III_, Richard is trying to rally his troops for the Battle of Bosworth. Someone brings him a note that says

“Jockey of Norfolk, be not so bold,  
For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.”

Richard then says that this is the work of an enemy spy. I can’t understand what the note means, and neither of my two annotated editions explains it. Help!

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-a-shakespeare-line/334750/2 "2005-12-08T21:33:03Z")

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[http://www.r3.org/bosworth/legends.html](http://www.r3.org/bosworth/legends.html)

Page down for the note on the tent.

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**Author:** ![Chuck50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Chuck50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chuck50)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-a-shakespeare-line/334750/3 "2019-03-25T07:59:10Z")

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> [@ITR\_champion](#):
>
> In Act 5, scene iii of _Richard III_, Richard is trying to rally his troops for the Battle of Bosworth. Someone brings him a note that says
> 
> “Jockey of Norfolk, be not so bold,  
> For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.”
> 
> Richard then says that this is the work of an enemy spy. I can’t understand what the note means, and neither of my two annotated editions explains it. Help!

The meaning would be roughly, “John of Norfolk, beware, King Richard is betrayed.”  
Jock/Jockey and Dickon/Dick were northern England and Scots variants of the names John and Richard. Compare “bought and sold” to modern slang “owned”/“pwned”

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**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-a-shakespeare-line/334750/4 "2019-03-26T18:22:09Z")

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“Your cause is betrayed. Save yourself while you can.”