(1)	Rosalind.	I prythee take the Cork out of thy mouth, that I may hear thy tidings.
As You Like It, act iii, sc. 2 (213).
(2)	Clown.	As you'ld thrust a Cork into a hogshead.
Winter's Tale, act iii, sc. 3 (95).
(3)	Cornwall.	Bind fast his Corky arms.
King Lear, act iii, sc. 7 (28).

It is most probable that Shakespeare had no further acquaintance with the Cork tree than his use of Corks. The living tree was not introduced into England till the latter part of the seventeenth century, yet is very fairly described both by Gerard and Parkinson. The Cork, however, was largely imported, and was especially used for shoes. Not only did "shoemakers put it in shoes and pantofles for warmness sake," but for its lightness it was used for the high-heeled shoes of the fashionable ladies. I suppose from the following lines that these shoes were a distinguishing part of a bride's trousseau—

The Bride's Burial—Roxburghe Ballads.

The Cork tree is a necessary element in all botanic gardens, but as an ornamental tree it is not sufficiently distinct from the Ilex. Though a native of the South of Europe it is hardy in England.

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