  The pulsar triple system, J0337+1715, is remarkably regular and highly
hierarchical. Secular dynamics controls its long term evolution with orbital
commensurability having negligible effect. Secular interactions transfer
angular momentum between inner and outer orbits unless their apsidal lines are
parallel or anti-parallel. These choices correspond, respectively, to
orthogonal eigenmodes p and a. Each is characterized by an eccentricity ratio
set by the masses and semi-major axes, i.e., $e_{p, 1}/e_{p, 2}\sim a_1/a_2$
while $e_{a, 1}/e_{a, 2}\sim (a_1/a_2)^{-3/2}(m_2/m_1)$. Mode p dominates the
system's current state so $e_1/e_2$ always remains close to $e_{p, 1}/e_{p,
2}$. A small contribution by Mode a causes $e_1$ and $e_2$ to oscillate with
period $\sim 10^3\,\yr$. Orbital changes should be apparent in a few years.
These will reveal the forcing of the apsidal precession of the inner orbit by
general relativity (GR), and possibly also the smaller contribution due to the
tidal and rotational distortion of the inner white dwarf (WD). Phinney (1992)
proposes that the epicyclic energy of a WD-pulsar binary reaches equipartition
with the kinetic energy of a single convective eddy when the WD's progenitor
fills its Roche lobe. We extend Phinney's theory to apply to modes rather than
individual orbits. Thus we predict that Mode p and Mode a achieved
equipartition with eddies in the giant envelopes of the progenitors of the
outer and inner WD, respectively. The most effective eddies are those with
lifetimes closest to the orbit period. These were more energetic in the
progenitor of the outer WD. This explains why Mode p overwhelms Mode a, and
also why the inner binary's orbit is far more eccentric than other WD-pulsar
binaries with similar orbit periods. Mode a's small but finite amplitude places
a lower bound of $Q\sim 10^6$ on the tidal quality parameter of the inner WD.
