bur-docks a plant too well known to have been
noticed here, had not Mr. Beisly, in his Shakspere's
Garden, etc., pp. 142-3, quite misrepresented the reading of the old eds. in the
following line,
“With burdocks, hemlock, nettles, cuckoo-flowers,”
KING LEAR, iv. 4. 4
, where burdocks is Hanmer's
highly-probable correction for“hoar-docks” and“hor-docks” of the quartos, and “Hardokes” and “Hardocks” of the
folios. Mr. Beisly, however, erroneously supposes that the early copies agree in having
“harlocks” (which, in fact, is Farmer's
conjecture), and says, “This I consider should be charlock[s] or carlock[s], the ancient name of wild mustard,” etc.