Green’s Dictionary of Slang

venereal disease, esp. syphilis.

1596		W. Clowes Obseruations 195: [He has] two Venereous buboes of ech side of his groine one, which for want of good looking to, went in againe of themselues, and so neuer came to suppuration.
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: The Bube and Ruffian cly the Harman beck and Harmans.
1612		Dekker Canting Song O per se O O3: The nab was queer, the bube him nipped, His quaroms all was pocky.
1617		W. Cornwallis Essayes of Certaine Paradoxes F3: No man dares to lye in their bed, or to weare their clothes, or to drinke in their cup, [...] willingly withdrawing themselues from these things, as from vessels consecrated to this great Idoll of the Bubositie.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 47: Bube, The Pox. As for Example, The Mort hath tipt the Bube to the Cully. The wench hath clapt the Fellow.
1674		‘The Beggars Curse’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 14: [as cit. 1608].
1691		R. Ames Female Fire-Ships n.p.: Think not that any sad Mishap, Of Swelling Groin or Weeping Clap, Or Bubo, or venereous Shanker, Occasion’d this Poetick Anger.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 194: The Mort has tipt the Bubo to the Cully.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 209: He taught his Pupil a deal of canting Words, telling him [...] Bube, the Pox.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 203: [...] The mort has tipt the bube upon the cully, i.e., the wench has clapped the fellow.
1722		‘Whipping-Tom’ Rod for a Proud Lady II 6: Almighty Pox [begetter of] Buboes, most painful Shankres, aching Heads, A falling Palate, Soreness, rotten Shins, And useless Bridge.
1728		Defoe Street Robberies Considered 30: Bube, Pox.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 18: The Pox – Bube.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1793		J.B. Moreton West India Customs and Manners 31: Buboes, shankers, & c. are the effects of ill-cured venerials.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1820		J. Winston Drury Lane Jrnl 5 June 11: On ‘Kean’ being asked [...] whether he would require to wait [...] he said, ‘No, not now, his bubo was “broke”.’ — same night a ‘woman’ waiting.
1911–27		in G. Legman Limerick (1953) 220: There was a young fellow—a banker, / Had bubo, itch, pox, and chancre.