Follow English magistrate in Venice once (4)

I believe the answer is:

doge

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'magistrate in venice once' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'follow english' is the wordplay.
'follow' becomes 'dog' (dog can mean to follow or torment).
'english' becomes 'E' (abbreviation as in OED).
'dog'+'e'='DOGE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for doge that I've seen before include "Magistrate of 14 (historical)" , "Old Italian chief magistrate" , "Old ruler of Venice" , "Venetian leader" , "Historically, the chief magistrate of Venice or Genoa" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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