BACCHUS.
Midas!
THE REEDS.
Midas, the king, has the ears of an ass.
BACCHUS.
Silence! or by my Godhead I strike dead
Who shall again insult the noble king.
Midas, you are my friend, for you have saved
And hospitably welcomed my old faun;
Choose your reward, for here I swear your wish,
Whatever it may be, shall be fulfilled.
ZOPYRION.
(aside) Sure he will wish his asses’ ears in Styx.
MIDAS.
What[!] may I choose from out the deep, rich mine
Of human fancy, & the wildest thoughts
That passed till now unheeded through my brain,
A wish, a hope, to be fulfilled by you?
Nature shall bend her laws at my command,
And I possess as my reward one thing
That I have longed for with unceasing care.
BACCHUS.
Pause, noble king, ere you express this wish[.]
Let not an error or rash folly spoil
My benefaction; pause and then declare,
For what you ask shall be, as I have sworn.
MIDAS.
Let all I touch be gold, most glorious gold!
Let me be rich! and where I stretch my hands,
(That like Orion I could touch the stars!)
Be radiant gold! God Bacchus, you have sworn,
I claim your word,—my ears are quite forgot!
THE REEDS.
Midas, the king, has the ears of an ass.
MIDAS.
You lie, & yet I care not—
ZOPYRION.
(aside to Midas) Yet might I
But have advised your Majesty, I would
Have made one God undo the other’s work—