After this his elder brother Lucius was a candidate for the aedileship, which is almost the highest office at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> open to young men,
it being the custom to elect two patricians; but there being on this occasion several patrician candidates, Publius Scipio for long did not venture to stand for the same office as his brother.
But on the approach of the election, judging from the disposition of the people that his brother had a poor chance of being elected, and seeing that he himself was exceedingly popular, he came to the conclusion that the only means by which his brother would attain his object would be by their coming to an agreement and both of them making the attempt, and so he hit on the following plan.
Seeing that his mother was visiting the different temples and sacrificing to the gods on behalf of his brother and generally exhibiting great concern about the result — he had only to concern himself with her, his father having left for <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Spain&groupId=983&placeId=1735">Spain</a>, where he had been appointed to the command in the campaign I have described — he, as a fact, told her that he had twice had the same dream.
He had dreamt that both he and his brother had been elected to the aedileship and were going up from the forum to their house, when she met him at the door and fell on their necks and kissed them.
She was affected by this, as a woman would be, and exclaimed, "Would I might see that day" or something similar. "Then would you like us to try, most?" he said.
Upon her consenting, as she never dreamt he would venture on it, but thought it was merely a casual joke — for he was exceedingly young — he begged her to get a white toga ready for him at once, this being the dress that candidates are in the habit of wearing.
What she had said had entirely gone out of her head,
Walbank Commentary