the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > villainy > villain > [noun] > hired (4)
A bravo, bully; a hired assassin. Obsolete or archaic.
A daring villain, a hired soldier or assassin; ‘a man who murders for hire’ (Johnson); a reckless desperado.
A thug or ruffian hired for purposes of violence or intimidation. Cf. bully boy, n. 2. Obsolete.