galleries quotes

We all three got up on our elephant which brought us hither. For my own part I found [it] very uneasy riding, being badly seated and not accustomed (he had such a shuffling, jogging justling pace), sitting hindermost on the ridge of his monstrous massy chine bones, and nothing at all under me (nor they neither) that I wished myselfonfoot and would havelet myselffall off butthat it was somewhat too high. In fine, we alighted off from his back into the upper galleries of the house and saved the labour going upstairs.

- Peter Mundy
c.1620  On riding on an elephant. Travels (pubished c.1650).