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54

Gow. Is the Duke of Exeter safe?

Flu. The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous

as Agamemnon; and a man that I love and

honour with my soul, and my heart, and my

duty, and my life, and my living, and my utter-

most power: he is not—God be praised and

plessed!—any hurt in the world; but keeps then

pridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline.

There is an aunchient lieutenant there at the

pridge, I think, in my very conscience, he is as

valiant a man as Mark Antony; and he is a man

of no estimation in the world; but I did see him

do as gallant service.

Gow. What do you call him?

Flu. He is called Aunchient Pistol.

Gow. I know him not.

Flu. Here is the man.

Pist. Captain, I thee beseech to do me favours:

The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well.

Flu. Ay, I praise God; and I have merited

some love at his hands.

Pist. Bardolph, a soldier firm and sound of heart,

And of buxom valour, hath, by cruel fate

And giddy Fortune's furious fickle wheel,

That goddess blind,

That stands upon the rolling restless stone,—

Flu. By your patience, Aunchient Pistol. For-

tune is painted plind, with a muffler afore her

eyes, to signify to you that Fortune is plind: and

she is painted also with a wheel, to signify to

you, which is the moral of it, that she is turning,

 13 aunchient lieutenant; cf. n.

27 buxom: brisk 