See Diotima Reader  http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/dfr-severa.html

One of the letters found at Vindolanda, a Roman military installation in Britain. These letters are on thin strips of wood and written in ink. The first part of the text, a birthday invitation, was written by a professional scribe but lines 11-14 were probably written by Claudia Severa herself (as one often adds a personal message to a card or invitation), making this possibly the earliest actual identifiable example of a woman’s handwriting in Latin. The strips were folded, forming a kind of note card. The back contains the address and return address. The text is based on that of Alan K. Bowman and J. David Thomas (Britannia 18:137-40 and Plate xvi, 1987).

side 1

Cl Seuera Lepidinae [suae]

[sa]l[u]tem

Iii Idus septembr[e]s soror ad diem

sollemnem natalem meum rogo

libenter facias ut uenias

ad nos iucundiorem mihi

side 2

[diem] interuentu tuo factura si

[uenie]s

cerial[em tu]um saluta aelius meus

et filiolus salutant

sperabo te soror

uale soror anima

mea ita ualeam

karissima et haue

back

sulpicae lepidinae

[flaui]i cerialis

[a se]uera

Text with modern punctuation and orthography:

Claudia Severa Lepidinae suae salutem.

On the back:  the address and return address:

Sulpicae Lepidinae,

Flauii Cerialis

a Seuera

Notes:

2 iii Id. Sept. September 11

3 salutem is the usual greeting (or salutation) in a Roman letter: the formula is: the sender’s name in the nominative, the recipient’s name in the dative with suo or suae (to show affection) followed by salutem (with dicit understood).

4 sollemnis appointed, for celebration: ad diem sollemnem natalem meum to my birthday party

5 libenter gladly, sincerely (adverb with rogo)

facias jussive noun clause with rogo

ut venias substantive clause of result with facias

6 iucundus, -a, -um pleasant, agreeable

7 interventus, -us, m. arrival, attendance, coming

9 saluta imperative "Say hi to..."

10 filiolus < filius (a diminutave)

salutant send their greetings

11 sperabo te I will expect you. "I’m looking forward to seeing you."

12-14 vale...ita valeam perhaps a variation of si vales bene est ego valeo. "Be well, so may I be well." Claudia then uses have (instead of the usual vale) as her closing (or valediction).

16 flavii cerialis wife of Flavius Cerialis (Mrs. Flavius Cerialis)