Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(an act of) cheating, hoaxing, swindling.

1674		Jackson’s Recantation in C. Hindley Old Bk Collector’s Misc. 14: By frequently [...] practising with the rooks, I went my share in a bubbling.
1707		N. Ward Wooden World 14: Bubbling, he says, is the Result of sound Reasoning.