] "for what young lady of common gentility will reach the age of sixteen without altering her name as far as she can?."

I loved this, for it seemed very contemporary to me. Doesn't every girl go through a stage where they don't like their name and wish to have another? I know I did. I was called "Cherie" by my family when I was growing up, but I hit an age where suddenly I wished to be called "Cheryl" - it seemed much more elegant and grown up. ;-) It's the same kind of thing with Sally and Sarah. Same person, variation on the same name, but "Sarah" sounds of so much more consequence than "Sally." ;-)