Mrs. Yonge
Mrs. Yonge from "Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband" is a woman tired by her painful marriage. She has no option to relieve her suffering from her husband unless to convince him, and, as she admits, she won't keep trying that because she's seen his stubborn pride firsthand. In this poem, she merely tells her husband her sentence of him, a judgement firm but fair. He returns home to lavish her with affection only after courting other, younger women everywhere. His reputation for flirting constantly embarrasses Mrs. Yonge, but sadly she has no recourse other than this poem. She ends comically by concluding that, as her head, he is both her doom and her saving grace. Since he has established such a low standard, she remains confident that she will be judged leniently by others.
John
Lord Hervey is the real "John" referred to in Montagu's poems like "Farewell to Bath." He is a collaborator who rarely signs his own name to writing but remains an invaluable resource to Montagu in her own work.
Delia
Delia is the widow of "A Receipt to Cure the Vapors." She is lovesick, having lost her husband years ago. She's still mourning him, and the symptom "vapors" Montagu attributes to the grief. Delia's advised to find a new lover and to spend a great deal of time listening to him.
Damon
Damon is Delia's lover. He has died so long ago that he's certainly decomposed. He's dearly missed by his wife, to the point of illness.
Flavia
Flavia of "Town Eclogues: Saturday; The Small-Pox" reclines on her couch and laments the loss of her beauty. She was taken ill with small pox and, though recovered, has lost her natural desirability. Her promised lover has left her because her hair has faded, her complexion ruined, etc. Realizing the vanity of beauty, Flavia bids the world goodbye as she feels everyone will reject her now.
