Sentence:  God's bones! Whenever I go to beat those <WSD>knaves</WSD> / my tapsters, out she [my wife] comes with clubs and staves, / "Go on!" she screams — and it's a caterwaul — / "You kill those dogs! Break back and bones and all!" 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A tricky, deceitful fellow; a dishonest person.