 Raleigh begins with an energetic determination to expose the truth, especially in the socially elite, although he knows his doing so will not be well received.From there the poem moves quickly through a variety of scenes and situations of falsehood and corruption, all of which Raleigh condemns.The second and third stanzas accuse the court of being arrogant and yet wholly rotten, the church of being inactive and apathetic despite its teachings, and those in government of favoritism and greed, respecting only those in large numbers.