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"I that in Heill wes and Gladnes", also known as "The Lament for the Makaris", is a poem in the form of adanse macabre by the Scottish poetWilliam Dunbar. Every fourth line repeats theLatin refraintimor mortis conturbat me (fear of death troubles me), alitanic phrase from theOffice of the Dead.

Apart from its literary quality, the poem is notable for the list ofmakars it contains, some of whom are historically attestable as poets only from Dunbar's testimony in this work. After listingLydgate,Gower andChaucer, the makars invoked are Scottish. All but two are cited as having died by the time of the composition. The two exceptions are thecourtier Patrick Johnston and known poetWalter Kennedy, the latter of whom diedc. 1508. From internal evidence, thelament is generally thought to have been composed c. 1505.

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

The list of names in theLament 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 ofBery —John Lydgate (died 1451)
• Gower (died 1408)
• Syr Hew of Eglintoun — historical figure (died 1377), brother-in-law toRobert II;^[1] association with the poetHuchoun posited but not certain
• Heryot — not identified, no known works
• Wyntoun —Andrew of Wyntoun (died 1425), author of theOrygynale Cronykil of Scotland
• Maister Johne Clerk — not identified; the name occurs in theBannatyne MS; the titlemaister signifies university education
• Jame(s) Afflek — (James or JamieAuchinleck)?, 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 theBuke of the Howlat
• Barbour —John Barbour (died 1395), author ofThe Brus
• Schir Mungo Lokert of the Le — no known works; posited identification with historical knight (died 1489)^[2]
• Clerk ofTranent — not identified; described by Dunbar as the author of a (lost?)Anteris ofGawane, a title also attributed toHuchoun byAndrew of Wyntoun^[3]
• SchirGilbert Hay (died after 1456) — author of theBuik of King Alexander the Conquerour, a copy of which is dated 1499
• Blind Hary (died 1492) — author ofThe Wallace
• SandyTraill — not identified (see alsoTrail family)
• PatrikJohnestoun — Scottishcourtier, 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 aMersar
• Roull ofAberdene
• Roull ofCorstorphin — 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 theTestament of Cresseid andMorall Fabillis
• Schir Johne theRos — no known works; he was Dunbar'scommissar in theFlyting of Dunbar and Kennedy
• Stobo — no known works; he is identified with John Reid, priest inKirkcudbright,^[1] who served as clerk and notary in royal courts ofJames II,III andIV
• QuintyneSchaw — Kennedy'scommissar in theFlyting; one satire extant (see alsoClan Shaw of Tordarroch)
• Gud maisterWalter Kennedy (d. c. 1508) — surviving works by Kennedy includeThe Passioun of Crist and his part in theFlyting

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 "didin luf so lifly write,/ So schort, so quyk, of sentencehie", 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 theBannatyne MS. Finally, if the lines "That scorpionfell hes done infek,/ Maister Johne Clerk, and James Afflek,/ Frabalat making andtragidie" 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]

On to theded gois allestatis,
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 allmellie;
   Timor mortis conturbat me.^[6]

(Lament for the Makaris, Lines 17-24)

EnglishWikisource has original text related to this article:

Lament for the Makaris

• Full text of the poem (original spelling)
• Full text of the poem (modernised spelling)

• Scottish poems
• Death in Scotland
• Poetry by William Dunbar
• Poetry of the Bannatyne Manuscript

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