Donne as usual is pedantically accurate in the details of his metaphor. The canonized lovers are invoked as saints, i.e. _their prayers are requested_. They are asked to beg from above a pattern of their love for those below. Of prayers to saints Donne speaks in one of his _Letters_, p. 181: 'I see not how I can admit that circuit of sending them' (i.e. letters) 'to you to be sent hither; that seems a kinde of praying to Saints, to whom God must tell first, that such a man prays to them to pray to him.' l. 40. The 'contract' of the printed editions is doubtless correct, despite the preference of the MSS. for 'extract'. This goes in several MSS. with other errors which show confusion. _D_, _H49_, _Lec_ read 'and drawe', a bad rhyme; and _A18_, _N_, _TCC_ (the verse is lost in _TCD_) drop 'soule', reading 'the world extract'. The reading 'extract' is due to what Dr. Moore calls 'the extraordinary short-sightedness of the copyists in respect of a construction. Their vision seems often to be bounded by a single line.' To 'extract the soul' of things is a not uncommon phrase with Donne. Here it does not suit the thought which is coming so well as 'contract': 'As the spirit and soule of the whole booke of Psalmes is contracted into this psalme, so is the spirit and soule of this whole psalme contracted into this verse.' _Sermons_ 80. 66. 663. (Psal. lxiii. 7. _Because thou hast beene my helpe, Therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice._) l. 45. _A patterne of your love._ The 'of our love' of 1633 _might_ mean 'for our love', but it is clear from the manner in which this stanza is given in _D_ that the copyist has misunderstood the construction--'our love' follows from the assumption that 'Countries, Townes, Courts' is the subject to 'Beg'. The colon and the capital letter would not make such a view impossible, as they might be given a merely emphasizing value; or if regarded as imperative the 'Beg' might be taken as in the third person: 'Countries, Townes, Courts--let them beg,' &c. Compare: The God of Souldiers: With the consent of supreame Jove, informe Thy thoughts with Noblenesse. Shakespeare, _Cor._ V. iii. 70-2 (Simpson, _Shakespearian Punctuation_, p. 98). But clearly here 'Beg' is in the second person plural, predicate to 'You whom reverend love', and 'your love' is the right reading. PAGE =16=. THE TRIPLE FOOLE. He is trebly a fool because (1) he loves, (2) he expresses his love in verse, (3) he thereby enables some one to set the verse to music and by singing it to re-awaken the passion which composition had lulled to sleep. PAGE =17=. LOVERS INFINITENESS.