The Country Mouse, for his part, affects to make himself quite at home, and blesses the good fortune that had wrought such a change in his way of life when, in the midst of his enjoyment, as he is thinking with contempt of the poor fare he has forsaken, on a sudden the door flies open, and a party of revellers returning from a late entertainment, bursts into the room. It was now the turn of the courtier to play the host he places his country friend on purple, runs to and fro to supply all his wants, presses dish upon dish and dainty upon dainty, and as though he were waiting on a king, tastes every course ere he ventures to place it before his rustic cousin. On the table were the remains of a splendid banquet, to procure which all the choicest shops in the town had been ransacked the day before. Here were couches of crimson velvet, carvings in ivory, everything in short that denoted wealth and luxury. It was late in the evening when they crept stealthily into the city, and midnight ere they reached the great house, where the Town Mouse took up his quarters. ― show you life and the town." Overpowered with such fine words and so polished a manner, the Country Mouse assented and they set out together on their journey to town. A mouse, you know, does not live for ever.
We must make the most of life while it lasts. On my honour, you are wasting your time miserably here. You can't really prefer these solitary rocks and woods to streets teeming with carriages and men. The Town Mouse, condescending to pick a bit here and a bit there, while the host sat nibbling a blade of barley-straw, at length exclaimed, "How is it, my good friend, that you can endure the dullness of this unpolished life? You are living like a toad in a hole. There was not a carefully stored up morsel that he did not bring forth out of his larder, peas and barley, cheese-parings and nuts, hoping by quantity to make up what he feared was wanting in quality, to suit the palate of his dainty guest.
The invitation being accepted in due form, the Country Mouse, though plain and rough and somewhat frugal in his nature, opened his heart and store, in honour of hospitality and an old friend. ONCE upon a time a Country Mouse who had a friend in town invited him, for old acquaintance sake, to pay him a visit in the country. But the Fox, leaving him in the lurch, called back, "My friend, if you had half as much brains as you have beard, you would have looked before you leaped." "Now it is your turn to help me out," said the Goat. The Fox replied that it would be quite simple if they helped each other "If you will rear up and place your front feet against the side of the well and bend your horns forward, I can easily mount on your back and climb out." The Goat did as he was told and the Fox nimbly climbed up his back and with one jump from the Goat's horns, was safely out of the well. The Fox, dissembling the real danger of his case, replied, "Come down, my friend the water is so good that I cannot drink enough of it, and so abundant that it cannot be exhausted." Upon this the Goat without any more ado leaped in but after satisfying his thirst, he asked the Fox how they were to get out of the well. A FOX had fallen into a well, and had been casting about for a long time how he should get out again when at length a Goat came to the place, and wanting to drink, asked Reynard whether the water was good, and if there was plenty of it.
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