Sir James, of Pitmedden, at one time lord president of the Supreme Court in Scotland, an intriguing and corrupt man of the stormy period of the sixteenth century. He was the author of a collection of the statutes entitled The Practicks. See SKENE, Sir John.

Sir James, Bart., of Dennyline and Kinnaird, lord Lyon king-at-arms in the reigns of Charles I. and II., was eminent as an annalist, a lawyer, and antiquary. He appears to have been an able and indefatigable collector of MSS., and left, besides his Annales of Scotland, sixteen treatises on genealogies and heraldry. Some of his works are preserved in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, together with his correspondence; from which rich collection Mr Haig published Balfour's *Annals of Scotland*, from the year 1657 to 1603, in 4 vols. Svo.

Balfour, Robert, a learned Scotchman, born about the year 1550, who was for many years principal of the Guenine College at Bordeaux. His principal work is his Commentary on the Logic and Ethics of Aristotle (Burdigr. 1616-20, 2 tom. 4to), which is described by Dr Irving (*Lives of the Scottish Writers*) as uniting vigour of intellect with great extent and variety of learning. Balfour was one of the most learned men of the time, and is spoken of by Dempster as the "phoenix of the age," the "stay of his countrymen," and the "glory of his nation."