> as lemmas

1444 Petition in Rotuli Parl. (1767–77) V. 126/1 The Rolles and bokes of accompt of the Baillifs.

1484 in J. Gairdner Lett. Reigns of Richard III & Henry VII (1861) I. 85 The bookes of accomptes..[are to] be alway in the handes of the said auditours for their presidence.

1558 P. Morwen tr. A. ben David ibn Daud Hist. Latter Tymes Iewes Commune Weale f. xxiii^v Thei burnte his bokes of accompts & billes of debts euerychone yt were in his palaice.

1576 A. Fleming tr. Erasmus in Panoplie Epist. 343 F. G. who is so deepely in your bookes of accountes.

a1613 T. Bodley in I. D'Israeli Curiosities of Lit. (1817) 1st Ser. III. 169 (modernized text) Let all these riches be treasured up..in good writings and books of account.

1683 J. Locke Let. 26 Aug. (1976) II. 602 I think you were best lock my book of accounts up in my scriptor when you go out of town.

1728 Stamford Mercury 4 Jan. 8/2 A Book of Accounts relating to the Business of..Anthony Nicholes, Cheese-Factor.

1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. iii. xxiii. 369 Abroad..a man's own books of accounts..with the suppletory oath of the merchant, amount at all times to full proof.

1828 J. Jervis & E. Younge Rep. Cases Court of Exchequer I. 28 The defendant..set forth a schedule containing the dates only of books of account, intitled ‘Easter Books’.

1864 W. P. Fessenden in Times 24 Dec. 8/5 The power to compel an exhibit of books of account.

1928 R. G. Williams Elem. Bk.-keeping xiv. 240 The preparation of the statement of affairs may possibly depend upon information which is not supplied by the books of account.

1997 Accountancy Apr. 20/3 The right of shareholders to inspect books of account, whether or not it was widely exercised, was considered an essential component of the system of accountability.