Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) the ears.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 82: hearing chetes eares.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Belman’s Second Nights Walk B1: A Prat-ling cheate is a tongue, Crashing cheates, are teeth; Hearing cheates are Eares.
1637		Dekker Eng. Villainies (8th edn) N2: Hearing cheats are eares.
1648		Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Hearing cheats, the Ears.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Hearing Cheats c. Ears.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 293/2: hearing cheat an ear.