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Barlow 85. DE VULPECULA ET CICONIA

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Vulpecula ad cenam invitavit Ciconiam, obsoniumque in mensam effundit et, cum liquidum esset, lingua lingebat, quod Ciconia frustra rostro tentavit. Abit elusa Avis, pudet pigetque iniuriae. Paucis diebus interlapsis, invitat ad cenam Vulpeculam. Vitreum vas situm erat, obsonii plenum. Quod cum esset arti gutturis, Vulpeculae licuit obsonium videre, gustare non licuit. Ciconia enim rostro facile exhausit.

Translation: The fox invited the stork to dinner, and poured the food out onto the table. Since it was liquid, the fox licked it up with her tongue; the stork in vain tried to eat the food with her beak. After having been tricked, the bird went away, ashamed and annoyed with the wrong that the fox had done her. After a few days had passed, the stork invited the fox to dinner. A glass vase was set out, full of food, which, since it had a narrow neck, allowed the fox to see the food, but not to taste it. The stork, of course, drained the food easily with her beak. 

[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]

The Moral of the Story:

Fraudem Fraude refellere licet,

Risus enim Risum,

Iocus Iocum,

Dolus meretur Dolum.

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.