An oaken towel, a cudgel. To rub one down with an oaken towel; to beat or cudgel him.
Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
Tow Row * TowerNathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang
John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes