ðɛɹ ɪz ɹˈiːzən tə bᵻlˈiːv ðætðɪ ˈoʊld pɹˈɛɹz wˌɪtʃ kˈɑːɾoʊ hɐz pɹɪzˈɜːvd ɪn hɪz tɹˈiːɾɪz ˌɔn ˈæɡɹɪkˌʌltʃɚ wɜːɹ ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli ɪn mˈɛtɹɪkəl fˈɔːɹm; bˌʌt ɪnðə dᵻɹˈɛkʃənz ɡˈɪvən tə ðə wˈɜːʃɪpɚ, ðə vˈɜːb dɪsˈiːɾoʊ, ænd nˌɑːt kæntˈɑːɾoʊ, pɹɪsˈiːdz ðə pɹˈɛɹ, ʃˈoʊɪŋ ðˈæt, ɪn kˈɑːɾoʊz tˈaɪm æt lˈiːst, sˈʌtʃ pɹˈɛɹz wɜː spˈoʊkən ɹˈæðɚ ðɐn sˈʌŋ.
There is reason to believe that the old prayers which Cato has preserved in his treatise on agriculture were originally in metrical form; but in the directions given to the worshiper, the verb dicito, and not cantato, precedes the prayer, showing that, in Cato's time at least, such prayers were spoken rather than sung.