It remained for him to gain a reputation for courage, nearly the most essential virtue in all states and especially so in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a>; and for this the training required of him was correspondingly severe.
Chance, however, assisted him also in this determination.
For the members of the royal house of Macedon had always been devoted to hunting, and the Macedonians had reserved the most suitable areas for breeding game.
These districts during the war had been as carefully preserved as formerly, but had never been hunted for four years owing to the exigencies of the times, so that there was an abundance of big game of every kind.
When the war had been brought to a conclusion, Aemilius, thinking that hunting was the best training and amusement for the young men, placed the royal huntsmen at Scipio's disposal, and gave him complete control over the preserves.
Scipio, availing himself of this and regarding himself as being nearly in the position of king, spent the whole time that the army remained in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a> after the battle of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pydna&groupId=919&placeId=1647">Pydna</a> in this pursuit,
and, as he became a very enthusiastic sportsman, being of the right age and physique for such an exercise, like a well-bred dog, this taste of his for hunting became permanent.
So that when he arrived in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> and when he found in Polybius one equally devoted to the chase, all the time that other young men gave up to law affairs and greetings, spending the whole day in the forum and thus trying to court the favour of the populace,
Scipio was occupied by the chase, and by his brilliant and memorable exploits, acquired a higher reputation than anyone.
For the others could not win praise except by injuring some of their fellow-citizens, this being the usual consequence of prosecutions in the law courts;
but Scipio, without ever vexing a soul, gained this universal reputation for courage, matching his deeds against their words.
So that in a short space of time he had outstripped his contemporaries more than is recorded of any other Roman, although the path he pursued to gain glory was quite the opposite of that followed by all others in accordance with Roman usage and custom.
Walbank Commentary