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Speeches (Lines) for Friar Francis
in "Much Ado about Nothing"

Total: 16

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# Act, Scene, Line
(Click to see in context)
Speech text

1

IV,1,1647

Leonato. Come, Friar Francis, be brief; only to the plain
form of marriage, and you shall recount their
particular duties afterwards.

Friar Francis. You come hither, my lord, to marry this lady.


2

IV,1,1650

Leonato. To be married to her: friar, you come to marry her.

Friar Francis. Lady, you come hither to be married to this count.


3

IV,1,1652

Hero. I do.

Friar Francis. If either of you know any inward impediment why you
should not be conjoined, charge you, on your souls,
to utter it.


4

IV,1,1657

Hero. None, my lord.

Friar Francis. Know you any, count?


5

IV,1,1766

Beatrice. How now, cousin Hero!

Friar Francis. Have comfort, lady.


6

IV,1,1768

Leonato. Dost thou look up?

Friar Francis. Yea, wherefore should she not?


7

IV,1,1805

Leonato. Confirm'd, confirm'd! O, that is stronger made
Which was before barr'd up with ribs of iron!
Would the two princes lie, and Claudio lie,
Who loved her so, that, speaking of her foulness,
Wash'd it with tears? Hence from her! let her die.

Friar Francis. Hear me a little; for I have only been
Silent so long and given way unto
This course of fortune [—]
By noting of the lady I have mark'd
A thousand blushing apparitions
To start into her face, a thousand innocent shames
In angel whiteness beat away those blushes;
And in her eye there hath appear'd a fire,
To burn the errors that these princes hold
Against her maiden truth. Call me a fool;
Trust not my reading nor my observations,
Which with experimental seal doth warrant
The tenor of my book; trust not my age,
My reverence, calling, nor divinity,
If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here
Under some biting error.


8

IV,1,1827

Leonato. Friar, it cannot be.
Thou seest that all the grace that she hath left
Is that she will not add to her damnation
A sin of perjury; she not denies it:
Why seek'st thou then to cover with excuse
That which appears in proper nakedness?

Friar Francis. Lady, what man is he you are accused of?


9

IV,1,1836

Hero. They know that do accuse me; I know none:
If I know more of any man alive
Than that which maiden modesty doth warrant,
Let all my sins lack mercy! O my father,
Prove you that any man with me conversed
At hours unmeet, or that I yesternight
Maintain'd the change of words with any creature,
Refuse me, hate me, torture me to death!

Friar Francis. There is some strange misprision in the princes.


10

IV,1,1852

Leonato. I know not. If they speak but truth of her,
These hands shall tear her; if they wrong her honour,
The proudest of them shall well hear of it.
Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine,
Nor age so eat up my invention,
Nor fortune made such havoc of my means,
Nor my bad life reft me so much of friends,
But they shall find, awaked in such a kind,
Both strength of limb and policy of mind,
Ability in means and choice of friends,
To quit me of them throughly.

Friar Francis. Pause awhile,
And let my counsel sway you in this case.
Your daughter here the princes left for dead:
Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
And publish it that she is dead indeed;
Maintain a mourning ostentation
And on your family's old monument
Hang mournful epitaphs and do all rites
That appertain unto a burial.


11

IV,1,1862

Leonato. What shall become of this? what will this do?

Friar Francis. Marry, this well carried shall on her behalf
Change slander to remorse; that is some good:
But not for that dream I on this strange course,
But on this travail look for greater birth.
She dying, as it must so be maintain'd,
Upon the instant that she was accused,
Shall be lamented, pitied and excused
Of every hearer: for it so falls out
That what we have we prize not to the worth
Whiles we enjoy it, but being lack'd and lost,
Why, then we rack the value, then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
Whiles it was ours. So will it fare with Claudio:
When he shall hear she died upon his words,
The idea of her life shall sweetly creep
Into his study of imagination,
And every lovely organ of her life
Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit,
More moving-delicate and full of life,
Into the eye and prospect of his soul,
Than when she lived indeed; then shall he mourn,
If ever love had interest in his liver,
And wish he had not so accused her,
No, though he thought his accusation true.
Let this be so, and doubt not but success
Will fashion the event in better shape
Than I can lay it down in likelihood.
But if all aim but this be levell'd false,
The supposition of the lady's death
Will quench the wonder of her infamy:
And if it sort not well, you may conceal her,
As best befits her wounded reputation,
In some reclusive and religious life,
Out of all eyes, tongues, minds and injuries.


12

IV,1,1904

Leonato. Being that I flow in grief,
The smallest twine may lead me.

Friar Francis. 'Tis well consented: presently away;
For to strange sores strangely they strain the cure.
Come, lady, die to live: this wedding-day
Perhaps is but prolong'd: have patience and endure.


13

V,4,2545

(stage directions). [Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, BENEDICK, BEATRICE,]
MARGARET, URSULA, FRIAR FRANCIS, and HERO]

Friar Francis. Did I not tell you she was innocent?


14

V,4,2564

Benedick. Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think.

Friar Francis. To do what, signior?


15

V,4,2578

Leonato. My heart is with your liking.

Friar Francis. And my help.
Here comes the prince and Claudio.


16

V,4,2618

Leonato. She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived.

Friar Francis. All this amazement can I qualify:
When after that the holy rites are ended,
I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death:
Meantime let wonder seem familiar,
And to the chapel let us presently.


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