ll. 19-20. _Rammes and slings now, &c._ The 'Rimes and songs' of _P_ is a quaint variant due either to an accident of hearing or to an interpretation of the metaphor: 'As in war money is more effective than rams and slings, so it is more effective in love than songs.' But there is a further allusion in the condensed stroke, for 'pistolets' means also 'fire-arms'. Money is as much more effective than poetry in love as fire-arms are than rams and slings in war. Donne is Dryden's teacher in the condensed stroke, which 'cleaves to the waist', lines such as They got a villain, and we lost a fool. PAGE =151=, l. 33. _to out-sweare the Letanie._ 'Letanie,' the reading of all the MSS., is indicated by a dash in _1633_ and is omitted without any indication by _1635-39_. In _1649-50_ the blank was supplied, probably conjecturally, by 'the gallant'. It was not till _1669_ that 'Letanie' was inserted. In 'versifying' Donne's _Satyres_ Pope altered this to 'or Irishmen out-swear', and Warburton in a note explains the original: 'Dr. Donne's is a low allusion to a licentious quibble used at that time by the enemies of the English Liturgy, who, disliking the frequent invocations in the Litanie, called them the _taking God's name in vain_, which is the Scripture periphrasis for swearing.' l. 36. _tenements._ Drummond in _HN_ writes 'torments', probably a conjectural emendation. Drummond was not so well versed in Scholastic Philosophy as Donne. l. 44. _But a scarce Poet._ This is the reading of the best MSS., and I have adopted it in preference to 'But scarce a Poet', which is an awkward phrase and does not express what the writer means. Donne does not say that he is barely a poet, but that he is a bad poet. Donne uses 'scarce' thus as an adjective again in _Satyre IV_, l. 4 (where see note) and l. 240. It seems to have puzzled copyists and editors, who amend it in various ways. By 'jollier of this state' he means 'prouder of this state', using the word as in 'jolly statesmen', I. 7. l. 48. '_language of the Pleas and Bench._' See Introductory Note for legal diction in love-sonnets. PAGE =152=, ll. 62-3. _but men which chuse Law practise for meere gaine, bold soule, repute._