Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) the plague.

1612		Dekker O per se O L3: Besides they have their canting word for the ‘Devil’ or the ‘plague’, etc., as, Ruffian for the one and cannikin for the other.
1637		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) O: A cannikin mill Quire cuffen.
1648		Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ in Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 48: Cannakin, The Plague.
a.1674		‘Canting Song’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 23: [as cit. 1637].
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Cannikin, the Plague.
1688		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 220: [as cit. 1637].
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 209: He taught his Pupil a deal of canting Words, telling him [...] Cannakin, the Plague.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: cannikin the Plague.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 18: The Plague – Cannakin.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Canniken [...] the plague.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1785].
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict. [as cit. 1785].