in fabulous history, a famous king of Phrygia. Bacchus, having been received by him with great magnificence, offered, out of gratitude, to grant him whatever he should ask. Midas desired that every thing which he touched should be changed into gold. Bacchus consented; and Midas, with extreme pleasure, found everywhere the effects of his touch. But he had soon reason to repent of his folly; for, when he wanted to eat and to drink, the ailments no sooner entered his mouth than they were changed into gold. This obliged him to have recourse to Bacchus again, to beseech him to restore him to his former state; upon which the god ordered him to bathe in the river Pactolus, which thenceforward had sands of gold. Some time afterwards, being chosen judge between Pan and Apollo, he gave another instance of his folly and bad taste, in preferring Pan's music to Apollo's; upon which the latter, being enraged, provided him with a pair of ass's ears. This Midas attempted to conceal from the knowledge of his subjects; but one of his servants having seen the length of his ears, and being unable to keep the secret, yet afraid to reveal it from apprehension of the king's resentment, opened a hole in the earth, and after he had whispered there that Midas had the ears of an ass, he covered the place as before, as if he had buried his words in the ground. On that place, however, as the poets mention, there grew a number of reeds, which, when agitated by the wind, uttered the same sound which had been buried beneath, and published to the world that Midas had the ears of an ass. Some explain the fable of the ears of Midas, by the supposition that he kept a number of informers and spies, who were continually employed in gathering and retailing every seditious word which might drop from the mouths of his subjects. Midas, according to Strabo, died of drinking bull's blood hot, a potion which he is said to have taken in order to free himself from the numerous evil dreams which continually tormented him. According to some, this personage was son of Cybele, and built a town, which he called Ancyra.