 brought to you by penguin quitters never win by michael bisping with antony evans read by dean williamson chapter one the count bisping couldn't sleep the night before the big battle he knew nothing about the adversary he'd be fighting the next day he felt unprepared as the other fighters conserved their energy and took their minds off fighting with idle chatter bisping left the camp he was going to spy on the enemy he traveled on foot into the dusk and continued until the sky was pitch black he walked slowly crawling at times to avoid the attention of wolves which he knew could weigh over ten stone finally he reached the foot of the mountain that had been on the horizon there was no moon but the stars unusually bright gave light enough for bisping to pick his way up the slopes and through the vineyards that clung to its moist soil from the summit bisping found what he was looking for the enemy encampment it was too dark to see the individual soldiers but every campfire was clearly visible in the night and these allowed him to make an accurate estimate of the enemy's number and bisping or bishopping as he would have spelled it returned to his own camp armed with that vital piece of information with full knowledge of the forces opposing them the army of the prince bishop sovereign ruler of the state of monster attacked immediately the routes of these invaders earned bishopping Germanic for bishops man land and the hereditary title of count the family coat of arms was created it depicts a bright star over a grapevine that coat of arms was worn centuries later by thomas bishopping when he served in the army of king stefan battery of poland thomas had been born around 1560 in monster but left home to seek greater fame and fortune in the war against Ivan the terrible's russian army like his ancestor thomas's courage and fighting ability were rewarded by the ground of lands this time on the provision that thomas and his descendants would defend it against invasions from the north two decades later on the fourth of january 1609 thomas's younger son yohan bishopping rode his horse through the gates of hradjani castle in Prague he demanded an audience with king rudolf the second the holy roman emperor as the younger son in an age when only the eldest inherited lands and titles yohan had left his ancestral home to seek his own fortune and glory as a commander in the army of lithuania but initially the lithuania military questioned whether the man who showed up was truly one of the famous bishopping fighting noblemen yohan vowed to return with proof of his birthright a letter signed by the king the imperial chancellor's endorsement of yohan's nobility dated fifth of january 1609 is still in the vienna state archives written in latin the document describes in minute detailed the bishopping coat of arms and warns any royal house of europe refusing to recognize yohan bishopping status will be fined fifty gold marks half of which would be paid to yohan and half to the treasury now convinced the knight was the man he claimed to be the lithuanian army dispatched bishopping and a garrison of men to defend a stretch of the northern border yohan defended it so well that he was granted ownership of much of the land now a nobleman in his own right yohan had founded another bishopping dynasty on 12 of september 1683 teofil bishopping served gallantly in the liberation of vienna from the ottoman empire forces who'd laid siege to the city since july the bishopping banner is displayed to this day in a viennese chapel commemorating the rescue a century later when poland ceased to be recognized by the russian austrian and prussian aggressors as an independent state jan bisping was among sample complete ready to continue