_Lady Compton's Letter to her Husband._--In Bishop Goodman's _Court of King
James I.,_ edited by John S. Brewer, M.A. (vol. ii. p. 127..), is a letter
from Lady Compton to her husband, William Lord Compton, afterwards Earl of
Northampton, written upon occasion of his coming into possession of a large
fortune. This letter, with some important variations, is also given in
Knight's _London_ (vol. i. p. 324.), and, if my memory does not deceive me,
in Hewitt's _Visits to Remarkable Places_. This letter is very curious, but
I can hardly think it genuine. Can any of your correspondents throw any
light on the matter? Was it printed before 1839, when Mr. Brewer's work
appeared? Where is the original, or supposed original, to be seen? Above
all, is it authentic? If not, is it known when, and by {425} whom, and
under what circumstances it was written?