Midas，son of the Great Goddess of Ida，by a hero whosename is not remembered ，was a pleasureloving King of Macedonian Bromium，where he ruled over the Brigians and planted his famous rose gardens．

          One day，the old hero Silenus，Dionysus' former teacher，happened to straggle from the main body of the Dionysian army as it marched out of Thrace into Boeotia，and was found sleeping and drunken in the rose gardens．The gardeners tied him and ledhim before Midas，to whom he told wonderful tales of a big continent lying beyond the Ocean's stream ——altogether separatefrom the united mass of Europe，Asia，or Africa——where gigantic，happy，and longlived people lived in splendid cities，enjoying a wonderful law system．Midas，delighted with Silenus' fictions，entertained him for five days and nights，and then ordered a guide to lead him to Dionysus' headquarters．

         Dionysus，who had been worrying about Silenus，sent toask how Midas wished to be rewarded．He replied without hesitation：‘Please turn all I touch into gold．' However，not onlystones，flowers，and the furnishings of his house turned to gold but，when he sat down to table，so did the food he ate and the water he drank ．Midas soon begged to be freed from his wish，because he was fast dying of hunger and thirst．Highlyamused ，Dionysus told him to visit the source of the river Pactolus and there wash himself．He obeyed，and was at oncefreed from the golden touch，but the sands of the river Pactolusare bright with gold to this day．