Betrayed by London: "Will and Testament" by Isabella Whitney

The time is come I must depart  

   from thee, ah famous city. 

I never yet, to rue my smart, 

   did find that thou hadst pity. 

Wherefore small cause there is that I 

   should grieve from the [to] go. 

But many women foolishly, 

   like me, and other mo'e, 

Do such a fixed fancy set 

   on those which least deserve. 

That long it is ere wit we get, 

   away from them to swerve. 

But time with pity oft will tell 

   to those that will her try 

Whether it best be more to mell, 

   or utterly defy. 

And now hath time me put in mind 

   of thy great cruelness, 

That never once a help would find 

   to ease me in distress. 

Though never yet wouldst credit give 

(lines 1-21) 

The entirety of "Will and Testament" is a defiant act of shaming the city of London for not caring for its people. Specifically, Whitney feels betrayed as women. Not legally allowed to have a will, she writes a scathing poem under the guise of a will to address the ugliness of her city and its coldness towards all. 

/And now hath time me put in mind / of thy great cruelness/ (17-18) 

These lines show that the speaker has been mulling over the injustices for a very long time. However, when read with the hint of sarcasm that coats the entire poem, the reader feels bad for the speaker. The bitter mood the poem offers hints at a real deep love the speaker has harbored for their "home". There is a real sense of betrayal emanating from the poem and we get the that the speaker clearly feels tricked. In a way the speaker should have known better. That's the point they make with the following lines,  

But many women foolishly, 

   like me, and other mo'e, 

Do such a fixed fancy set 

  on those which least deserve (7-10) 

This is observational; she has watched many other women give attention to those who do not deserve it. She has experienced a lifetime of other women placing their energy into things (men, family, friends...) who do not deserve or reciprocate the efforts made. Furthermore, they continuously do this dance of inequality. She calls women, herself included, "foolish": that is the key word. The word "foolish" invokes a feeling of regret or self-judgment; the irony being that foolish can mean "lacking judgment". This self-imposed displeasure is caused by the fact that she, specifically as a woman, had viewed this situation countless times before. Though her "fixed fancy set" onto London as a whole does not diminish the idea that she should have known what would have come of her loving loyalty. By speaking of London as a human lover, Whitney expresses a bigger betrayal than that of a real person. It is not just one betrayal by one person; it is everyone, herself included, who is to blame for the overwhelming failure of equality for all.