Salmon

or Salomon, subs. (old cant).—The mass; ‘the Beggers Sacrament or Oath.’ [SMYTH PALMER, Folk-Etymology: ‘probably a corruption of Fr. serment’; T. L. KINGTON-OLIPHANT, The New English, i. 384, ‘Henry VIII., when surprised, cries by the mass (ELLIS, Letters, III. i. 196, 1513–25); this was to become a common oath all through the country.’] (HARMAN, DEKKER, ROWLANDS, HEAD, B. E., BAILEY, GROSE, EGAN, BEE.)

  c. 1536.  COPLAND, The Hye-way to the Spyttel-hous [HAZLITT, Remains of the Early Popular Poetry of England, IV. 69]. By SALMON and thou shall pek my jere.

  1611.  MIDDLETON, The Roaring Girle, v. 1. I have, by the SALOMON, a doxy that carries a kinchin-mort in her slate at her back.

  1614.  OVERBURY, Characters, ‘A Canting Rogue.’ He will not beg out of his limit though hee starve; nor breake his oath if hee sweare by his SALOMON, though you hang him.

  1622.  FLETCHER, Beggar’s Bush, iii. 4. I … stall thee by the SALMON into the clowes.

  1641.  R. BROME, A Joviall Crew, ii. Pat. By SALMON, I think my Mort is in drink.

  1707.  J. SHIRLEY, The Triumph of Wit, ‘The Maunder’s Praise of His Strowling Mort.’

  1749.  R. GOADBY, The Life and Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew, ‘The Oath of the Canting Crew.’

  1815.  SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxxiv. She swore by the SALMON.