▁August us ▁were ▁often ▁clo aked ▁in ▁old - f ashion ed ▁p iety ▁and ▁appe als ▁to ▁tradition , ▁arch a ic ▁aspects ▁of ▁the ▁prayer ▁suggest ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁not ▁an ▁in vention , ▁but ▁represents ▁a ▁traditional ▁form ul ary ▁as ▁might ▁be ▁preserved ▁in ▁the ▁official ▁pont ific al ▁books . ▁The ▁att ending ▁pont if ex ▁even ▁dict ates ▁the ▁word ing . ▁The ▁syntax ▁is ▁repet itive ▁and ▁dis joint ed , ▁unlike ▁pray ers ▁given ▁literary ▁dress ▁during ▁this ▁period ▁in ▁the ▁poetry ▁of ▁O vid ▁and ▁others . ▁The ▁de ities ▁invoked ▁— ▁among ▁them ▁the ▁Arch a ic ▁Tri ad ▁of ▁Jup iter , ▁Mars , ▁and ▁Qu ir inus ▁— ▁belong ▁to ▁the ▁earliest ▁religious ▁trad itions ▁of ▁Rome . ▁Liv y ▁even ▁explains ▁that ▁he ▁will ▁record ▁the ▁arch a ic ▁rit ual ▁of ▁dev ot io ▁at ▁length ▁because ▁" the ▁memory ▁of ▁every ▁human ▁and ▁religious ▁custom ▁has ▁with ered ▁from ▁a ▁preference ▁for ▁everything ▁novel ▁and ▁foreign ." ▁ ▁The ▁prayer ▁is ▁utter ed ▁by ▁Pub lius ▁De cius ▁Mus , ▁the ▁cons ul ▁of ▁ 3 4 0 ▁BC , ▁during ▁the ▁Sam n ite ▁Wars . ▁He ▁v ows ▁to ▁offer ▁himself ▁as ▁a ▁sacrifice ▁to ▁the ▁infer nal ▁gods ▁when ▁a ▁battle ▁between ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁and ▁the ▁Lat ins ▁has ▁become ▁des perate : ▁ ▁The ▁pont if ex ▁instruct ed ▁him ▁to ▁don ▁the ▁to ga ▁pra et ext a , ▁to ▁ve il