James, a celebrated Italian writer, was born about the commencement of the sixteenth century, at Gazano near Salo, in the diocese of Brescia. He was secretary to cardinal Merinos, archbishop of Bari, and after his death to cardinal Ghinucci. He afterwards read public lectures on Aristotle's politics, and on rhetoric, and was appointed professor of philosophy and historiographer to the republic of Genoa. He applied himself to compose the annals of that state, and soon completed five books, which were to have been followed by several others. But having spoken too freely of some noble families, this created him enemies, who, having resolved to ruin the historian, accused him of an unnatural crime; and, as witnesses were found to convict him, he was condemned to the flames; but the sentence appears to have been commuted, as an act of special grace, into beheading. This was in the year 1550. Authors have varied in their opinions as to Bonfadio's alleged guilt of the crime for which he suffered; some affirming that he was arrested and condemned on a false pretext, and that he died innocent; while others, including Tiraboschi, maintain that the accusation was but too well founded, and that his addiction to the infamous crime charged against him was the real cause which led to his destruction. His works are, 1. Annalium Genuesium ab anno 1528, Recuperatae Libertatis usque ad annum 1550, libri quinque, Pavia, 1586, 4to; and 2. Lettere Famigliari di Jacopo Bonfadio, con altri suoi Componimenti in prosa ed in verso, with a life of the author by Mazzucchelli, Brescia, 1746, 8vo.