兩隻老鼠是非常親密的朋友，其中一隻是田鼠，一隻是家鼠。一天，田鼠邀請家鼠去他鄉下的家裏做客。當時，田地裏的莊稼都已經收割完畢，田鼠隻能拿出大麥和玉米來招待家鼠。家鼠看後用同情的語氣對他的朋友說： “你的生活簡直和螞蟻一樣清貧，可我就不同了，我那裏吃的東西是應有盡有的。如果你同意的話，咱們現在就去我家裏一起享用大餐吧！ ”
田鼠表示自己願意去，於是兩個朋友就出發去家鼠的住處。家鼠拿出麵包、麵粉、棗子、無花果、蜂蜜、豆子來熱情地招待朋友。田鼠看著這麼一大堆美食，眼花繚亂，由衷地羨慕家鼠的幸福生活，抱怨自己命苦。當他們正要開始吃的時候，突然有人把門打開了。兩隻老鼠立刻慌裏慌張地逃到一條狹窄的牆縫裏，你擠我，我擠你，難受極了。過了一會兒，他們打算去拿無花果，不料又有人進來了，他們隻好再次藏起來。這時候田鼠的肚子雖然還是餓得咕咕叫，卻對家鼠說： “朋友，再見吧，盡管你為我準備這麼多的美味佳肴，但是我必須要走了。如果每天要過這種提心吊膽的日子，我寧願繼續去啃麥茬和小草去。雖然生活苦一些，但是至少不必擔驚受怕。 ”
平平靜靜地吃粗茶淡飯，勝過提心吊膽地享用酒肉大餐。
A ouse iowimate friend， to pay him a visit and partake of his try fare. As they were on the bare plowlahere wheat-stod roots pulled up from the hedgerow，the Towo his friend，“You live here the life of the ants，while ihe hory. I am surrounded by every luxury，and if you will e，as I wish you would，you shall have an ample share of my dainties.”
The ouse ersuaded，aown with his friend.On his arrival，the Town Mouse pla bread，barley， beans，dried .gs，honey，raisins，and，last ht a dainty piece of a basket. The ouse，beied at the sight of such good cheer，expressed his satisfa terms aed his own hard fate. Just as they were begi，someohe door，ah ran off squeaking，as fast as they could，to a hole so narrow that two ly .nd room in it by squeezing.
They had scar their repast again wheered to take something out of a cupboard，whereupowhtehan before，ran away and hid themselves. At last the ost famished，said to his friend，“Although you have prepared for me so dai，I must leave you to enjoy it by yourself. It is surrouoo mao please me. I prefer my bare plowlands and roots from the hedgerow，where I live iy，and without fear.”
Better beans and ba pea d ale in fear.