Microsoft Store
 

As I Was Going to St Ives


 

"As I was going to St Ives" is a traditional nursery rhyme which is generally thought to be a riddle. The earliest known published version of it dates to around 1730, although a similar problem appears in the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus (Problem 79), dated to around 1650 BC.

Related Topics:
Nursery rhyme - Riddle - 1730 - Rhind Mathematical Papyrus - 1650 BC

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The words are, in one version, as follows:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

: As I was going to St Ives

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

: I met a man with seven wives

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

: And every wife had seven sacks

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

: And every sack had seven cats

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

: And every cat had seven kits

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

: Kits, cats, sacks, wives

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

: How many were going to St Ives?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are a number of places called St Ives in England and elsewhere.

Related Topics:
St Ives - England

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~