This is part of a series on Lafayette’s visit to New England – June 13 to June 29 1825.

Lafayette attended services led by Reverend Thomas Tracy at the Second Religious Society. Ann Tracy wrote a letter describing the event. Her husband had no notice that Lafayette would be at his service since a note from Colonel Emery forwarded to George Thacher did not reach him. He learned of it only when Lafayette was in Saco. He decided to take a sermon he had previously delivered “On that night was Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, slain!” and add two pages at the close.

As she describes it the sermon casts into merited contempt and obscurity the splendors of impious Kings and Emperors, the base oppressors and tyrants of the earth.  Then a happy transition directed the hearers to the illustrious individual before them, the friend of America, of human-kind etc., etc. Mrs. Tracy had the pleasure of pressing Lafayette’s hand to her lips.

“Is it not a singular fact that I should have been permitted (living as we do in this unimportant Village) to pay in person to this Illustrious Man ? all the respect and homage whh it was in my power to pay ? to this Man, whose fame and friendship for our Country ? awakened a thrill of enthusiastic admiration in my earliest childhood!? And that my husband should have been permitted to preach in his presence, & to have received his marked approbation. We have heard, altho’ it may not be true ? that Lafayette had expressed more than once a strong desire of possessing a copy of the Sermon.”

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For information on the bicentennial of Lafayette’s tour check out Lafayette200.org