Ever wondered what were the words that Duke William delivered to his men on the morning of Hastings? The Bayeux Tapestry cannnot help us here, nor can the pages of the Chronicle of Battle Abbey. However, we are in luck as The Last Treasure of Ancient England actually contains his long-lost speech and we are even more fortunate at this point in time as it has been faithfully reproduced in the lines below. This is the novel’s contribution to the 950th anniversary of Hastings and also to celebrate its momentous book launch on the very day of battle. Let the game be ventured!

From Chapter V: Battle

“Men! We march in the footsteps of Caesar himself but we are bolder soldiers. We have Viking blood in us! Where Caesar only came to see, we have come to stay. Up there is a perjurer and thief. God himself has led us safely here so that we may exact his retribution. And your reward shall be had in this world and the next. If you have followed me to England out of loyalty, I salute you, but when we carry the field today it is I that shall be loyal to you and grant you all the land and title you rightly deserve! Behind us lies the sea and certain death, but before you stands a future filled with riches. No warrior has ever been offered such a prize. Shall you take it?! Then follow me to your destiny, for today we will conquer a kingdom. The Saxon is no match for the Norman!”

The rest is history…