Every member of the House ... should have three properties of the elephant. First, that he hath no gall; secondly, that he is inflexible and cannot bow; thirdly, that he is of a most ripe and perfect memory. We will add two other properties of the elephant - that though they be of greatest strength and understanding yet they are sociable and go in companies.
Edward Coke, 4th Institutes, on the "properties a parliamentary man should have".