“Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we'll follow”
'E'en but' compresses 'even only' — Antony will do nothing more than exchange a farewell kiss with his new wife Octavia before departing. The phrase signals how purely perfunctory the marriage is: it was arranged to bind him politically to Octavius Caesar, and he is already treating it as a formality before riding off.
“in your soldier's dress, Which will become you both”
'Soldier's dress' means military armor or campaign attire. Lepidus means he will next see Agrippa and Maecenas not as courtiers in Rome but kitted out for war — the phrase marks the shift from diplomatic negotiation (the treaty with Octavia) to the imminent military campaign against Pompey.
- TLN 975historical topical
“be at the mount Before you, Lepidus”
'The mount' is Misenum (modern Capo Miseno), the cape and naval base on the Bay of Naples where the three triumvirs are to meet the young Pompey (Sextus Pompeius) to negotiate a truce. It was the agreed rendezvous point for the peace conference depicted in 2.6.
“My purposes do draw me much about”
'Much about' means by a roundabout or circuitous route — Lepidus has obligations that take him well out of his way. 'About' here is a directional adverb meaning 'around' or 'by a longer course,' not 'approximately.' The upshot: Maecenas and Agrippa will beat Lepidus to Misenum by two days.