Letter of Augustus to Gaius (Aulus Gellius 15. 7. 3)

IX. Kal. Octobris

Ave, mi Gai,

Meus asellus iucundissimus, quem semper medius fidius desidero, cum a me abes.   Sed praecipue diebus talibus, qualis est hodiernus, oculi mei requirunt meum Gaium, quem, ubicumque hoc die fuisti, spero laetum et bene valentem celebrasse quartum et sexagesimum natalem meum.  Nam, ut vides, klimakth=ra communem seniorum omnium tertium et sexagesimum annum evasimus.

Deos autem oro, ut mihi quantumcumque superest temporis, id salvis nobis traducere liceat in statu rei publicae felicissimo, a)ndragaqou/ntwn u(mw=n diadexome/nwn stationem meam.

Notes:

IX. Kal. Octobris  23 September

Gaius, the grandson of Augustus, son of Julia and Agrippa.  The plural in the last line refers to Gauius and his brother Lucius.  The boys were adopted by Augustus and were designated as his successors.

asellus  donkey; used as a term of affection

medius fidius  "so help me god"  Dius fidius, a title of Jupiter

klimakth=ra < klimakth/r  the rung of a ladder; in Astrology, one of the critical points in a person's life, occurring at seven year intervals (as 21, 25, 49, 63, etc.)

The introduction to this chapter of Gellius reads:  Observatum esse in senibus quod annum fere aetatis tertium et sexagesimum agant aut laboribus aut interitu aut clade aliqua insignitum:  atque inibi super eadem observatione exemplum adpositum epistulae divi Augusti ad Gaium filium.

a)ndragaqou/ntwn u(mw=n diadexome/nwn  a genitive absolute  "with you being good men and succeeding to my position"