What did Dickinson mean by the word "cubits"?

Question

Emily Dickinson wrote a poem, one line of which has the word "cubits" in it. Here's how it goes:

The heroism we recite would be a daily thing

Did not ourselves the cubits warp for fear to be a king.

In this context, what does the word "cubits" mean? Is it the measurement, and if so, what does this line mean?

Answer 1

It means we measure heroes (and kings) with 'warped cubits' to make them seem much greater than ourselves, because the thought that they are just like us scares us. So a warped cubit means a false measure.