The Restoration was a great restoration of nick forms. Such names as had survived were again for a while in full favour, and the reader has only to turn to the often coarse ballads and songs contained in such collections as Tom d'Urfey's "Pills to Purge Melancholy" to see how Nan, Sis, Sib, Kate, and Doll had been brought back to popular favour. It was but a spurt, however, in the main. As the lascivious reaction from the Puritanic strait-lacedness in some degree spent itself, so did the newly restored fashion, and when the eighteenth century brought in a fresh innovation, viz. the _classic_ forms, such as Beatrix, Maria, Laetitia, Carolina, Louisa, Amelia, Georgina, Dorothea, Prudentia, Honora--an innovation that for forty years ran like an epidemic through every class of society, and was sarcastically alluded to by Goldsmith in Miss Carolina Wilhelmina Amelia Skeggs, and the sisters Olivia and Sophia--the old nick forms once more bade adieu to English society, and now enjoy but a partial favour. But Bill, Tom, Dick, and Harry still hold on like grim death. Long may they continue to do so! (_c._) _The Decay of Saint and Festival Names._ There were some serious losses in hagiology. Names that had figured in the calendar for centuries fared badly; Simon, Peter, Nicholas, Bartholomew, Philip, and Matthew, from being first favourites, lapsed into comparative oblivion. Some virgins and martyrs of extra-Biblical repute, like Agnes, Ursula, Catharine, Cecilia, or Blaze, crept into the registers of Charles's reign, but they had then become but shadows of their former selves. 'Sis' is often found in D'Urfey's ballads, but it only proves the songs themselves were old ones, or at any rate the choruses, for Cecilia was practically obsolete: "1574, Oct. 8. Buried Cisly Weanewright, ye carter's wife."--St. Peter, Cornhill. "1578, June 1. Buried Cissellye, wife of Gilles Lambe."--St. Dionis Backchurch. "1547, Dec. 26. Married Thomas Bodnam and Urcylaye Watsworth."--Ditto. "1654, Sep. 20. Buried Ursley, d. of John Fife."--St. Peter, Cornhill. It was now that Awdry gave way: "1576, Sept. 7. Buryed Awdry, the widow of -- Seward."--St. Peter, Cornhill. "1610, May 27. Baptized Awdrey, d. of John Cooke, butcher."--St. Dionis Backchurch. St. Blaze,[22] the patron saint of wool-combers and the _nom-de-plume_ of Gil Blas, has only a church or two to recall his memory to us now. But he lived into Charles's reign: "Blaze Winter was master of Stodmarsh Hospital, when it was surrendered to Queen Elizabeth, 1575."--Hasted's "History of Kent." "1550, May 23. Baptized Blaze, daughter of -- Goodwinne."--St. Peter, Cornhill. "1555, Julie 21. Wedding of Blase Sawlter and Collis Smith."--Ditto. "1662, May 6. Blase Whyte, one of ye minor cannons, to Mrs. Susanna Wright, widow."--Cant. Cath. This is the last instance I have seen. Hillary shared the same fate: