"The Lie" is a political and social criticism poem probably written by Sir Walter Raleigh circa 1592.
Speaking in the imperative mood throughout, he commands his soul to go "upon a thankless errand" and tell various people and organizations of their misdeeds and wrongdoings.
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.
Pierre Lefranc denied Raleigh's authorship of the poem on thematic and stylistic grounds, arguing that replies to it deliberately incriminated him "as the author of someone else's nihilistic, irreverent, anti-establishment satire".