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Lament for the Makaris

"I that in Heill wes and Gladnes", also known as
"The Lament for the Makaris", is a poem in the
form of a danse macabre by the Scottish poet William
Dunbar. Every fourth line repeats the Latin refrain
timor mortis conturbat me (fear of death troubles me),
a litanic phrase from the Office of the Dead.

Apart from its literary quality, the poem is notable for

the list of makars it contains, some of whom are
historically attestable as poets only from Dunbar's
testimony in this work. After listing Lydgate, Gower
and Chaucer, the makars invoked are Scottish. All but
two are cited as having died by the time of the
composition. The two exceptions are the courtier Breughel, The Triumph of Death (detail)
Patrick Johnston and known poet Walter Kennedy, the
latter of whom died circa 1508. From internal
evidence, the lament is generally thought to have been composed c.1505.

Most of the names can be traced to either the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries.

Contents
List of names in the Lament
Extract
References
External links

List of names in the Lament

The [[Wiktionary:list of names in the Lament for the Makaris, all of which are from what Dunbar
in the poem calls his "facultie", suggests a picture of the Scottish literary culture of the period which is
wider than that otherwise handed down to us from the surviving record. In order and form of citation,
the makars that Dunbar mourns in 'The Lament' are:

Chaucer (died 1400)

The Monk of Bery — John Lydgate (died 1451)
Gower (died 1408)
Syr Hew of Eglintoun — historical figure (died 1377), brother-in-law to Robert II;[1] association
with the poet Huchoun posited but not certain
Heryot — not identified, no known works
Wyntoun — Andrew of Wyntoun (died 1425), author of the Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland
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Maister Johne Clerk — not identified; the name occurs in the Bannatyne MS; the title maister
signifies university education
Jame(s) Afflek — (James or Jamie Auchinleck)?, no known works; Dunbar's text might imply
Afflek, and Clerk before him (mentioned in the same line), were noted for serious themes ("ballad"
and "tragedy")
Holland — Richard Holland (died c. 1483), author of the Buke of the Howlat
Barbour — John Barbour (died 1395), author of The Brus
Schir Mungo Lokert of the Le — no known works; posited identification with historical knight
(died 1489)[2]
Clerk of Tranent — not identified; described by Dunbar as the author of a (lost?) Anteris of
Gawane, a title also attributed to Huchoun by Andrew of Wyntoun[3]
Schir Gilbert Hay (died after 1456) — author of the Buik of King Alexander the Conquerour, a
copy of which is dated 1499
Blind Hary (died 1492) — author of The Wallace
Sandy Traill — not identified (see also Trail family)
Patrik Johnestoun — Scottish courtier, no known works; the citation implies Johnston, who
probably staged entertainments for the royal court in Dunbar's day,[1] was still living at the time
Merseir — not identified; Dunbar praises him for 'quickness', 'terseness' and 'elevation'; some
love poems extant in the Bannatyne MS are attributed to a Mersar
Roull of Aberdene
Roull of Corstorphin — one surviving poem accredited to a Roull,[4] (Roull = Scots form of the
French name, Rolf)
Maister Robert Henrisoun (d. c.1500) — one of Scotland's most important poets; works include
the Testament of Cresseid and Morall Fabillis
Schir Johne the Ros — no known works; he was Dunbar's commissar in the Flyting of Dunbar
and Kennedy
Stobo — no known works; he is identified with John Reid, priest in Kirkcudbright,[1] who served
as clerk and notary in royal courts of James II, III and IV
Quintyne Schaw — Kennedy's commissar in the Flyting; one satire extant (see also Clan Shaw
of Tordarroch)
Gud maister Walter Kennedy (d. c.1508) — surviving works by Kennedy include The Passioun
of Crist and his part in the Flyting

Dunbar offers some small tantalising details beyond customary compliments for the lost poets cited.
The title of one poem is given: Clerk of Tranent's "Anteris of Gawane", an otherwise unknown work.
Of Mercer, Dunbar extends his critical opinion to say that he "did in luf so lifly write,/ So schort, so
quyk, of sentence hie", and the reference to him as a poet of love also accords with the fact that some
love poems are attributed to a "Mersar" in the Bannatyne MS. Finally, if the lines "That scorpion fell
hes done infek,/ Maister Johne Clerk, and James Afflek,/ Fra balat making and tragidie" can be taken
to impart literal information, then it might infer that some particular reputation for work with more
serious themes attached to these names. At that time in Scotland "tragedy" denoted any "story, play or
poem with a disastrous or sorrowful outcome".[5]

Extract

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On to the ded gois all estatis,

Princis, prelotis, and potestatis,
Baith riche and pur of al degre;
Timor mortis conturbat me.

He takis the knychtis in to feild,

Anarmit under helme and scheild;
Victour he is at all mellie;
Timor mortis conturbat me.[6]

(Lament for the Makaris, Lines 17-24)

References
1. Tasioulas, J.A. The Makars Canongate 1999, p.788-9.
2. Priscilla Bawcutt
3. Dictionar of the Scots Leid: http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/aunter_n
4. Lament for the Makaris (http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/769.html) Archived (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20090406023759/http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/769.html) 2009-04-06 at the
Wayback Machine See notes section.
5. Dictionary of the Scots Language, http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/tragedie
6. "RPO -- William Dunbar : Lament For The Makers" (http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/lament-m
akers). Retrieved 2014-01-27.

External links
Poetry Foundation online text for Lament for the Makars (re-cast in the title as 'Makers') (https://w
ww.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44205/lament-for-the-makers-56d22335db2cd)

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