My father took a single turn across the room, then sat down, and finished the chapter.
The verbs auxiliary we are concerned in here, continued my father, are, am ; was ; have ; had ; do ; did ; make ; made ; suffer ; shall ; should ; will ; would ; can ; could ; owe ; ought ; used ; or is wont .—And these varied with tenses, present , past , future , and conjugated with the verb see ,—or with these questions added to them;— Is it? Was it? Will it be? Would it be? May it be? Might it be? And these again put negatively, Is it not? Was it not? Ought it not? —Or affirmatively,— It is ; It was ; It ought to be . Or chronologically,— Has it been always? Lately? How long ago? —Or hypothetically,— If it was? If it was not? What would follow?⸺If the French should beat the English? If the Sun go out of the Zodiac?
Now, by the right use and application of these, continued my father, in which a child’s memory should be exercised, there is no one idea can enter his brain, how barren soever, but a magazine of conceptions and conclusions may be drawn forth from it.⸺Didst thou ever see a white bear? cried my father, turning his head round to Trim , who stood at the back of his chair:—No, an’ please your honour, replied the corporal.⸺But thou couldst discourse about one, Trim , said my father, in case of need?—How is it possible, brother, quoth my uncle Toby , if the corporal never saw one?⸺’Tis the fact I want, replied my father,—and the possibility of it is as follows.
A white bear! Very well. Have I ever seen one? Might I ever have seen one? Am I ever to see one? Ought I ever to have seen one? Or can I ever see one?
Would I had seen a white bear! (for how can I imagine it?)