The children wept very heartily, and both promised me to remember and to do as I had taught them. Being now in my oval chamber, and alone with my children, I had a mind to be informed of some things I was almost ashamed to ask Quilly. "Tommy," says I, "what sort of fire do they keep in these globes? and what are they made of?"--"Daddy," says he, "yonder is the man shifting them, you may go and see." Being very curious to see how he did it, I went to him. As I came near him, he seemed to have something all fire on his arm. "What has the man got there?" says I. "Only sweecoes," says Tommy. By this time I came up to him; "Friend," says I, "what are you about?"--"Shifting the sweecoes, sir," says he, "to feed them."--"What oil do you feed with?" says I.--"Oil!" says he, "they won't eat oil; that would kill them all."--"Why," says I, "my lamp is fed with oil." Tommy could scarce forbear laughing himself; but for fear the servant should do so too, pulled me by the sleeve, and desired me to say no more. So turning away with him, "Daddy," says he, "it is not oil that gives this light, but sweecoes, a living creature. He has got his basket full, and is taking the old ones out to feed them, and putting new ones in. They shift them every half day and feed them."--"What!" says I, "are all these infinite number of globes I see living creatures?"--"No," says he, "the globes are only the transparent shell of a bott, like our calibashes. The light comes from the sweecoe within."--"Has that man," says I, "got any of them?"--"Yes," says he, "you may see them. The king and the colambs, and indeed every man of note, has a place to breed and feed them in."--"Pray, let us go see them," says I, "for that is a curiosity indeed." Tommy desired the man to show me the swee-coes; so he set down his basket, which was a very beautiful resemblance of a common higler's basket, with a handle in the middle, and a division under it, with flaps on each side to lift up and down. It was made of straw-coloured small twigs, neatly compacted, but so light as scarce to be of any weight. Opening one of the lids, I could make very little distinction of substances, the bottom seeming all over of a white colour. I looking surprised at the light, the man took out one, and would have put it into my hand, but perceiving me shy of it, he assured me it was one of the most innocent things in the world. I then took it, and surveying it, it felt to my touch as smooth and cold as a piece of ice. It was about as long as a large lobworm, but much thicker. The man seeing me admire the brightness of its colour, told me it had done its duty, and was going to be fed, but those which were going upon duty were much clearer; and then opening the other lid, those appeared far exceeding the others in brightness, and thickness too. I asked what he fed them with. He said, "Leaves and fruit; but grass, when he could get it, which was not often, they were very fond of."