I met a fool i' the forest,

A motley fool.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): As You Like It. Act ii. Sc. 7.

He sees that this great roundabout

The world, with all its motley rout,

Church, army, physic, law,

Its customs and its businesses,

Is no concern at all of his,

And says—what says he?—Caw.

William Cowper (1731-1800): The Jackdaw. (Translation from Vincent Bourne.)