The first night he dreamt (140) that Jupiter, out of several boys of the order of the nobility who were playing about his altar, selected one, into whose bosom he put the public seal of the commonwealth, which he held in his hand; but in his vision the next night, he saw in the bosom of Jupiter Capitolinus, the same boy; whom he ordered to be removed, but it was forbidden by the God, who declared that it must be brought up to become the guardian of the state. The next day, meeting Augustus, with whom till that hour he had not the least acquaintance, and looking at him with admiration, he said he was extremely like the boy he had seen in his dream. Some give a different account of Catulus’s first dream, namely, that Jupiter, upon several noble lads requesting of him that they might have a guardian, had pointed to one amongst them, to whom they were to prefer their requests; and putting his fingers to the boy’s mouth to kiss, he afterwards applied them to his own.
Marco Cicerón, mientras acompañaba a Cayo César al Capitolio, se encontraba contándoles a unos amigos un sueño que había tenido la noche anterior, en el cual vio a un apuesto joven, descendido del cielo por una cadena de oro, que se detenía a la puerta del Capitolio y a quien Júpiter ponía un látigo en las manos.
Y de inmediato, al ver a Augusto, quien había sido llamado por su tío César para el sacrificio y era aún totalmente desconocido para la mayoría de los presentes, afirmó que era exactamente el muchacho que había visto en su sueño.
Cuando asumió la toga viril, su túnica senatorial, al aflojarse la costura de ambos lados, cayó a sus pies. Algunos quisieron ver en esto el presagio de que la orden, de la cual aquello era la insignia de distinción, estaría en algún momento u otro sujeta a él.