Scintilla has slightly adapted this text from a medieval Latin version of Aesop's Fables that was widely used in European schools from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. The following vocabulary and grammatical aids are intended to help modern individuals in the early stages of their study of Latin to read and enjoy the story. The story is written in a poetic meter called dactylic hexameter.

suscipio, -ipere, -epi, -eptum: receive into one's home; give shelter to
commodo, -are, -avi, -atum: put oneself at the disposal of, lend oneself [with se understood]
ad mensam: "at table"
mente minor: ablative of comparison, here meaning "than his intention or design"
vilis, -e, adjective: poor, cheap
frons, -ontis, f.: expression, feelings [literally "brow"]
daps, dapis, f.: meal, banquet
facto fine cibis: ablative absolute, "when an end had been made to the food"
socius, -ii, m.: companion [in apposition with the subject of tendit]
ops, opis, f.: power [in plural often means "wealth"]
penus, -us, f.: store-room, provisions
subeo, -ire, -ivi, -itum: come up to [+ dative]
inservio, -ire, -ivi, -itum: look after, take care of [+ dative]
invigilo, -are, -ave, -atum: stay awake over, be intent on [+ dative]
ferculum, -i, n.: dish, course
emendo, -are, -avi, -atum: correct, improve
condio, -ire, -ivi, -itum: flavor, season
vultus, -us, m.: look, expression [here is genitive with clementia]
sacro, -are-, -avi, -atum: exalt, sanctify [might be a pun, since the verb also means "to doom"]
plus, comparative adverb: more [+ ablative of comparison]
sera, -ae, f.: door, door-bolt
immurmuro, -are, -avi, -atum: mutter at [+ dative]
hosticus, -a, -um, adjective: strange, hostile ["dogs" is understood]
ambo, -ae, -o, plural numerical adjective and pronoun: both
cursus, -us, m.: running [here ablative of means]
mendico, -are, -avi, -atum: beg for
assuo, -ere, -ui, utum: sew on, patch on [this sentence, literally "the creeping burden of the mouse is sewed on the wall," seems to mean that the mouse, his belly laden with undigested food, creeps over and flattens himself against the wall. There is a pun on muro--from murus, -i, m. wall--and muris--from mus, muris, m. mouse.]
penu clauso: ablative absolute, "after the store-room had been closed"
parco, -ere, peperci, parsum: spare [+ dative object]
febrio, -ire: have a fever
teste tremore: literally, "with shaking as a witness" [ablative absolute, with the participle of the verb "to be" understood]
gaudeo, -dere, gavisus sum: rejoice [+ ablative object: rejoice in, be pleased by]
sapio, -ere, -ivi: have a flavor, taste of
favus, -i, m.: honeycomb [here must mean simply honey]
for, fari, fatus sum: say, speak [deponent verb--passive in form but active in meaning]
mel, mellis, n.: honey
fellitus, -a, -um, adj.: made bitter, steeped in gall [fel, fellis, n. "gall, bile" was often punningly contrasted with mel, mellis, n. "honey"]
metus, -us, m.: fear [here ablative of means with fellitum]
obnubo, -bere, -psi, -ptum: veil, cover
rodo, -ere, -si, -sum: gnaw, nibble
malo, malle, malui, irregular verb: prefer, would rather [complementary infinitive]
quam, adverb: than
perpes, -etis, adjective: continuous
turbo, -inis, m.: agitation [literally means "whirlwind, spinning of a top"]
pauperies, -ei, f.: poverty
dito, -are, -avi, -atum: enrich
do, dare, dedi, datum: give
pretium, -i, n.: value, worth
redeo, -ire, -ivi, -itum: go back, return ["home" or "to his home" is understood here]
praepono, -onere, -osui, -ositum: prefer (one thing--accusative--to another--dative)
tutus, -a -um, adjective: safe [tutius is the comparative adverb, "more safely" and tutissimus -a -um is the superlative adjective, "safest"]
timendus -a -um, gerundive of the verb timere: here used as a neuter plural noun that is dative with praeponit, "things that must be feared"
summus -a -um, superlative adjective: highest
imus, -a, -um, superlative adjective: lowest
tristis, -e, adjective: sad, bitter, harsh [tristior is the comparative form of the adjective]
usus, -us, m. experience [modified by tristior, "very bitter"]