it was all rather amusing , and as i have said , i was well prepared already at a young age to go into war or to court if it was ever required of me , but these wars and these two characters existed for me in dinner table talk , and every time someone railed about the crazy duke filippo maria , and one of his insane tricks with a snake out of his sleeve , my father would wink at me and whisper in my ear , `` nothing like pure lordly blood , my son . ''