I am convinced, _Yorick_, continued my father, half reading and half discoursing, that there is a North-west passage to the intellectual world; and that the soul of man has shorter ways of going to work, in furnishing itself with knowledge and instruction, than we generally take with it. ----But, alack! all fields have not a river or a spring running besides them; --every child, _Yorick_, has not a parent to point it out.
----The whole entirely depends, added my father, in a low voice, upon the _auxiliary verbs_, Mr. _Yorick_.
Had _Yorick_ trod upon _Virgil's_ snake, he could not have looked more surprised. --I am surprised too, cried my father, observing it, --and I reckon it as one of the greatest calamities which ever befel the republic of letters, That those who have been entrusted with the education of our children, and whose business it was to open their minds, and stock them early with ideas, in order to set the imagination loose upon them, have made so little use of the auxiliary verbs in doing it, as they have done ----So that, except _Raymond Lullius_, and the elder _Pelegrini_, the last of which arrived to such perfection in the use of 'em, with his topics, that, in a few lessons, he could teach a young gentleman to discourse with plausibility upon any subject, _pro_ and _con_, and to say and write all that could be spoken or written concerning it, without blotting a word, to the admiration of all who beheld him. --I should be glad, said _Yorick_, interrupting my father, to be made to comprehend this matter. You shall, said my father.
The highest stretch of improvement a single word is capable of, is a high metaphor, ----for which, in my opinion, the idea is generally the worse, and not the better; ----but be that as it may, --when the mind has done that with it--there is an end, --the mind and the idea are at rest, --until a second idea enters; ----and so on.
Now the use of the _Auxiliaries_ is, at once to set the soul a-going by herself upon the materials as they are brought her; and by the versability of this great engine, round which they are twisted, to open new tracts of enquiry, and make every idea engender millions.

'I am convinced, Yorick,' continued my father, 'that there is a North-west passage to the intellectual world; and that the soul of man has shorter ways of acquiring knowledge, than we generally take. But, alack! Not every child, Yorick, has a parent to point it out.
'It entirely depends,' added my father in a low voice, 'upon the auxiliary verbs.'
Yorick could not have looked more surprised.
'I am surprised too,' cried my father, observing it. 'I think it one of the greatest calamities, that those who have been entrusted with our children's education, and whose business it was to open their minds, and stock them early with ideas, have made so little use of the auxiliary verbs. - So that, except Raymond Lullius, and the elder Pelegrini, who used them so perfectly that, in a few lessons, he could teach a young gentleman to discuss any subject, pro and con, to the admiration of all-'
'I should be glad,' said Yorick, interrupting, 'to understand this matter.'
'You shall,' said my father. 'The greatest improvement a single word is capable of, is a high metaphor, - for which, in my opinion, the idea is generally the worse - but be that as it may - when the mind has done that, there is an end; the mind is at rest, until a second idea enters; and so on.
'Now the use of the Auxiliaries is to set the soul a-going by herself upon the word; and by twisting them round this great engine, to open new areas of enquiry, and make every idea engender millions.'
