Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) that member of a confidence trickster team who actually plays the game of chance through which a victim is defrauded and who would often claim to be a friend of one of the victim’s friends.

1552		G. Walker Detection of Vyle and Detestable Use of Dice Play 38: Nevertheless, he lightly hath in his company a man of more worship than himself, that hath the countenance of a possessioner of land, and he is called the verser [...] who counterfeiteth the gentleman.
1592		Greene Defence of Conny-Catching 18: Could the proudest Setter or Verser in the world haue drawne on a Conny more cunningly?
1592		Greene Blacke Bookes Messenger 3: The verser in conny-catching is called, The Retriuer.
1608		Dekker Belman of London F: The Verser, is a fellow more Graue in speech and habite, and seems to be a Landed man; his part is to second what the Taker begins, and to giue countenance to the Act.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 53: This Lawrence had beene [...] cast out of seruice, and so was faine to liue among the wicked, sometimes a stander for the padder, sometimes a verser for the cony-catcher, sometimes a stale for a foyst, but most commonly an Apple-squire for a trudging house.