The Will and Testament of Isabella Whitney

The maner of her Wyll, & what she left to London: and to all those in it: at her departing. I Whole in body, and in minde, but very weake in Purse: Doo make, and write my Testament for feare it wyll be wurse. And fyrst I wholy doo commend, my Soule and Body eke: To God the Father and the Son, so long as I can speake. And after speach: my Soule to hym, and Body to the Graue: Tyll time that all shall rise agayne, their Judgement for to haue. And then I hope they both shal méete, to dwell for aye in ioye: Whereas I trust to see my Friends releast, from all annoy. Thus haue you heard touching my soule, and body what I meane: I trust you all wyll witnes beare, I haue a stedfast brayne. ℂ And now let mée dispose such things, as I shal leaue behinde: That those which shall receaue the same, may know my wylling minde. I firste of all to London leaue because I there was bred: Braue buildyngs rare, of ChurchesFor a list of churches in early modern London, see Churches in the Placeography. store, and Pauls to the head. Betweene the same: fayre streatsFor a list of streets in early modern London, see Streets in the Placeography. there bée, and people goodly store: Because their keeping craueth cost, I yet wil leaue him more. First for their foode, I Butchers leaue, that euery day shall kyll: By Thames you shal haue Brewers store, and Bakers at your wyll. And such as orders doo obserue, and eat fish thrice a weeke: I leaue two Stréets, full fraught therwith, they neede not farre to seeke. Watlyng Stréete, and Canwyck stréete, I full of Wollen leaue: And Linnen store in Friday stréete, if they mée not deceaue. And those which are of callyng such, that costlier they require: I Mercers leaue, with silke so rich, as any would desyre. In Cheape of them, they store shal finde and likewise in that streete: I Goldsmithes leaue, with Iuels such, as are for Ladies méete. And Plate to furnysh Cubbards with, full braue there shall you finde: With Purle of Siluer and of Golde, to satisfye your minde. With Hoods, Bungraces, Hats or Caps, such store are in that streete: As if on ton side you should misse the tother serues you forte, For Nets of euery kynd of sort, I leaue within the pawne:I.e., Royal Exchange. French Ruffes, high Purles, Gorgets and (Sléeues of any kind of Lawne. For Purse or Kniues, for Combe or Glasse, or any néedeful knacke I by the Stoks haue left a Boy, wil aske you what you lack. I Hose doo leaue in Birchin Lane, of any kynd of syse: For Women stitchte, for men both Trunks and those of Gascoyne gise. Bootes, Shoes or Pantables good store, Saint Martins hath for you: In Cornwall, there I leaue you Beds, and all that longe thereto. For Women shall you Taylors haue, by Bow, the chiefest dwel: In euery Lane you some shall finde, can doo indifferent well. And for the men, few Stréetes or Lanes, but Bodymakers bee: And such as make the swéeping Cloakes, with Gardes beneth the Knée. Artyllery at Temple Bar, and Dagges at Tower hyll: Swords and Bucklers of the best, are nye the Fleete vntyll. Now when thy Folke are fed and clad with such as I haue namde: For daynty mouthes, and stomacks weake some Iunckets must be framde. Wherfore I Poticaries leaue, with Banquets in their Shop: Phisicians also for the sicke, Diseases for to stop, Some Roysters styll, must bide in thée, and such as cut it out: That with the guiltlesse quarel wyl, to let their blood about. For them I cunning Surgions leaue, some Playsters to apply. That Ruffians may not styll be hangde, nor quiet persons dye. For Salt, Otemeale, Candles, Sope, or what you els doo want: In many places, Shops are full, I left you nothing scant. Yf they that kéepe what I you leaue, aske Mony: when they sell it: At Mint, there is such store, it is vnpossible to tell it. At Stiliarde store of Wines there bée, your dulled mindes to glad: And handsome men, that must not wed except they leaue their trade. They oft shal séeke for proper Gyrles, and some perhaps shall fynde: (That neede compels, or lucre lures to satisfye their mind. And neare the same, I houses leaue, for people to repayre: To bathe themselues, so to preuent infection of the ayre. On Saturdayes I wish that those, which all the wéeke doo drug: Shall thyther trudge, to trim them vp on Sondayes to looke smug. Yf any other thing be lackt in thée, I wysh them looke: For there it is: I little brought but nothyng from thée tooke. Now for the people in thee left, I haue done as I may: And that the poore, when I am gone, haue cause for me to pray. I wyll to prisons portions leaue, what though but very small: Yet that they may remember me, occasion be it shall: And fyrst the CounterPossibly the Wood Street Counter or Southwark Counter. they shal haue, least they should go to wrack: Some Coggers and some honest men, that Sergantes draw a back. And such as Friends wyl not them bayle, whose coyne is very thin: For them I leaue a certayne hole, and little ease within. The Newgate, once a Monthe shal haue a sessions for his share: Least being heapt, Infection might procure a further care. And at those sessions some shal skape, with burning nere the Thumb: And afterward to beg their fées tyll they haue got the some. And such whose deedes deserueth death, and twelue haue found the same: They shall be drawne vp Holborne hill, to come to further shame: Well, yet to such I leaue a Nag shal soone their sorowes cease: For he shal either breake their necks or gallop from the preace. The Fléete, not in their circuit is, yet If I geue him nought: It might procure his curse, ere I vnto the ground be brought. Wherfore I leaue some Papist olde to vnder prop his roofe: And to the poore within the same, a Bore for their behoofe. What makes you standers by to smile. and laugh so in your sléeue: I thinke it is, because that I to Ludgate nothing geue. I am not now in case to lye, here is no place of iest: I dyd reserue, that for my selfe, yf I my health possest. And euer came in credit so a debtor for to bée. When dayes of paiment did approch, I thither ment to flée. To shroude my selfe amongst the rest, that chuse to dye in debt: Rather then any Creditor, should money from them get. Yet cause I féele my selfe so weake that none mée credit dare: I héere reuoke: and doo it leaue, some Banckrupts to his share. To all the Bookebinders by Paulles because I lyke their Arte: They ery weeke shal mony haue, when they from Bookes departe. Amongst them all, my Printer must, haue somwhat to his share: I wyll my Friends these Bookes to bye of him, with other ware. For Maydens poore, & Widdoers ritch, do leaue, that oft shall dote: And by that meanes shal mary them, to set the Girles aflote. And wealthy Widdowes wil I leaue, to help yong Gentylmen: Which when you haue, in any case be courteous to them then: And sée their Plate and Iewells eake may not be mard with rust. Nor let their Bags too long be full, for feare that they doo burst. To ery Gate vnder the walles, that compas thée about: I Fruit wiues leaue to entertayne such as come in and out. To Smithfeelde I must something leaue my Parents there did dwell: So carelesse for to be of it, none wolde accompt it well. Wherfore it thrice a wéeke shall haue, of Horse and neat good store. And in his Spitle, blynd and lame, to dwell for euermore. And Bedlem must not be forgot, for that was oft my walke: I people there too many leaue, that out of tune doo talke. At Bridewel there shal Bedelles be, and Matrones that shal styll See Chalke wel chopt, and spinning plyde; aud turning of the Mill. For such as cannot quiet bee, but striue for House or Land: At Th’innes of Court, I Lawyers leaue to take their cause in hand. And also leaue I at ech Inne of Court, or Chauncerye: Of Gentylmen, a youthfull roote, full of Actiuytie: For whom I store of Bookes haue left, at each Bookebinders stall: And parte of all that London hath to furnish them withall. And when they are with study cloyd: to recreate theyr minde: Of Tennis Courts, of dauncing Scooles, and fence they store shal finde. And euery Sonday at the least, I leaue to make them sport. In diuers places Players, that of wonders shall reporte. Now London haue I (for thy sake) within thee, and without: As coms into my memory, dispearsed round about Such néedfull thinges, as they should haué héere left now vnto thée: When I am gon, with consience. let them dispearced bee. And though I nothing named haue, to bury mee withall: Consider that aboue the ground, annoyance bee I shall. And let me haue a shrowding Shéete to couer mee from shame: And in obliuyon bury mee and neuer more mee name. Ringings nor other Ceremonies, vse you not for cost: Nor at my buriall, make no feast, your mony were but lost. Reioyce in God that I am gon, out of this vale so vile. And that of ech thing, left such store, as may your wants exile. I make thee sole executor, because I lou’de thée best. And thée I put in trust, to geue the goodes vnto the rest. Because thou shalt a helper neede, In this so great a chardge, I wysh good Fortune, be thy guide, least thou shouldst run at lardge. The happy dayes and quiet times, they both her Seruants bee. Which well wyll serue to fetch and bring, such things as néede to thee. ℂ Wherfore (good London) not refuse, for helper her to take: Thus being weake and wery bōth an end héere wyll I make. To all that aske what end I made, and how I went away: Thou answer maist: like those which heere, no longer tary may. And vnto all that wysh mee well, or rue that I am gon: Doo me comend, and bid them cease my absence for to mone. And tell them further, if they wolde, my presence styll haue had: They should haue sought to mend my luck; which euer was too bad. So fare thou well a thousand times, God shéelde thee from thy foe: And styll make thée victorious, of those that séeke thy woe. And (though I am perswade) that I shall neuer more thée see: Yet to the last, I shal not cease to wish much good to thee. This, xx. of October I, in ANNO DOMINI: A Thousand: v. hundred seuenty three as Alminacks descry. Did write this Wyll with mine owne hand and it to London gaue: In witnes of the standers by, whose names yf you wyll haue. Paper, Pen and Standish were: at that same present by: With Time, who promised to reueale, so fast as she could hye The same: least of my nearer kyn, fōr any thing should vary: So finally I make an end no longer can I tary. ¶ FINIS. by IS. VV.