CABLES. 



295 



THE COUNTRY AND THE CITY MOUSE. 



A plain Country Mouse was one day unexpect- 

 edly visited at his hole, by a fine Mouse of the 

 Town, who had formerly been his play-fellow. 

 The honest rustic, pleased with the honour, resolved 

 to entertain his friend as sumptuously as possible. 

 He set before him a reserve of delicate grey pease 

 and bacon, a dish of fine oatmeal, some parings 

 of new cheese, and to crown all with a dessert, a 

 remnant of a charming mellow apple. When the 

 repast was nearly finished, the spark of the town, 

 aking breath, said, ( )ld Crony, give me leave to be 

 a little free with you : how can you bear to live in 

 this melancholy hole here, with nothing but woods, 

 and meadows, and mountains, and rivulets about 

 you? Do you not prefer the conversation of the 

 world to the chirping of birds, and the splendour of 

 the court, to the rude aspect of a wild like this? 

 With many flowery arguments, he at last prevailed 



