Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) a confidence trickster, spec. one who poses as a poor scholar and thus persuades his victims to put up money in order to back the printing of some spurious learned pamphlet.

1608

Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 5: He that casts up the Lure is cal’d the Falconer. The Lure, that is cast up is an idle Pamphlet.