And thy dry bones can reach at nothing now, But gords or nine-pins

to defy an enemy; to defy the power of a magistrate; to defy the arguments of an opponent; to defy public opinion

[…] For he to-day that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, / This day shall gentle his condition […]

He joined the police force a long time ago, when he lived in Virginia.