To give a Rowland for an Oliver; to give an equivalent. Rowland and Oliver were two knights famous in romance: the wonderful achievements of the one could only be equalled by those of the other.
Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
Row-1 * Royal ScampsNathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang
John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes