If he refused to sign, his hero-ship was lost.

And sign he could not; he was not worth one hundred talents, nor the fifth part of the sum.

Suddenly his mind became a blank; he stood speechless; the color fled his face.

An idea at last came to his relief.
"Thou Jew!" he said, "where hast thou twenty talents?
Show me." Sanballat's provoking smile deepened.
"There," he replied, offering Messala a paper.
"Read, read!" arose all around.
Again Messala read: "AT ANTIOCH, Tammuz 16th day.
"The bearer, Sanballat of Rome, hath now to his order with me fifty talents, coin of Caesar.
SIMONIDES." "Fifty talents, fifty talents!" echoed the throng, in amazement.
Then Drusus came to the rescue.
"By Hercules!" he shouted, "the paper lies, and the Jew is a liar.
Who but Caesar hath fifty talents at order?
Down with the insolent white!" The cry was angry, and it was angrily repeated; yet Sanballat kept his seat, and his smile grew more exasperating the longer he waited.

At length Messala spoke.
"Hush! One to one, my countrymen--one to one, for love of our ancient Roman name." The timely action recovered him his ascendancy.
"O thou circumcised dog!" he continued, to Sanballat, "I gave thee six to one, did I not ?" "Yes," said the Jew, quietly.
"Well, give me now the fixing of the amount." "With reserve, if the amount be trifling, have thy will," answered Sanballat.
"Write, then, five in place of twenty." "Hast thou so much ?" "By the mother of the gods, I will show you receipts." "Nay, the word of so brave a Roman must pass.