Note 68 — BOOK V. History of Rome, from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire, A. D. 476.

The form, which has been strictly preserved, may be of interest, as illustrating Roman ideas: “Thou Janus, thou Jupiter, thou Mara our father, thou Quirinus, thou Bellona; ye Lares, ye the nine gods, ye the gods of our fathers’ land, ye whose power disposes both of us and of our enemies, and ye also, gods of the dead, I pray you, I humbly beseech you … that ye would prosper the people of Rome and the Quirites with all might and victory, and that ye would visit the enemies of the people of Rome … with terror, dismay, and death. And according to these words which I have now spoken, so do I now, on the behalf of the commonwealth of the Roman people … on behalf of the army, both the legions and the foreign aids … devote the legions and the foreign aids of our enemies, along with myself, to the gods of the dead and to the grave.” It was deemed an impiety to ask for victory without making a sacrifice, for Nemesis avenged unmingled prosperity no less than crime.