He kept their virtuous precepts in his mind,
And needed nothing - then his name was sign’d:
But now he wrote of Sunday-walks and views,
Of actors’ names, choice novels, and strange news;
How coats were cut, and of his urgent need
For fresh supply, which he desired with speed.
The Father doubted, when these letters came,
To what they tended, yet was loth to blame:
“Stephen was once my duteous son, and now
My most obedient - this can I allow?