Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) to run away.

c.1550		C. Bansley Pryde and Abuse of Women line 105: Rubbe forthe, olde trottes, to the devyl worlde.
1600		Dekker Shoemakers’ Holiday V iv: Trip and goe [...] go, rub, out of mine alley.
c.1642		T. Killigrew Parson’s Wedding (1664) II v: They will run, and Lovers like fools run after them, Crying, Rub, and fly, for me.
1680		M. Stevenson Wits Paraphras’d 23: He’s gone for ever, gone to pot, / Rub’d off with what small Geer he’s got.
1688		T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia I i: The captain whipped his porker out, and away rubbed prigster and called the watch.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Five Rum-padders are rub’d in the Darkmans out of the Whit [...] Five Highway-men in the night broke Newgate.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. n.p.: rub c. to Run away.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Rub To run away.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
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.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1896		F. Hutcheson Barkeep Stories 100: ‘Dey was a guy was tellin’ me yester- day dat you had all dem bookmakers out dere rubbin’ every time dey got a flash o’ you cornin’ towards dem’.