The Mather Safe—­which, by the way, is not of iron, but of oak heavily bound with that metal—­is said to have been among the possessions of the author of the “Magnalia.”  Its last private proprietor was a collateral descendant of the Mathers, an eccentric character, popularly known as Miser Farrel.  As Farrel was a bachelor, and had the reputation of being enormously rich, the College authorities of his day were accustomed to treat him with distinguished consideration, and went so far, I believe, as to vote him some minor degree.  What effect these academic blandishments may have had upon their object cannot at present be determined.  For when the day came for the long-expected will to be opened, it was found that the old gentleman had bequeathed to the College only his Mather Safe, with certain papers carefully let into the wood-work in one corner of the same,—­which papers were not to be removed or opened for a hundred years.

It may be conceived that this bulky benefaction was not accepted with the best grace, particularly as the testator made no provision for considerable expense necessarily incurred in moving and setting it up in the library.  Yet, not satisfied with this culpable negligence, Mr. Farrel had affixed still other conditions to the acceptance of his gift.  He had caused two massive locks to be put upon the Mather Safe, of which he enjoined that the respective keys should be forever held by the President and Treasurer of the College, to the end that neither could have access to its contents except in the presence of the other.  Moreover, he required that the Safe should be used only as a receptacle for packages which the depositors desired to keep from the world for at least fifty years.  Of course no right-minded corporation would have endured this posthumous fussiness, were it not for the mysterious papers left in the Safe,—­these being considered instruments whereby immense possessions would finally come to the College.  But, as their worthy friend, however niggardly in other respects, had taken care to save nothing in lawyers, there were really no means of disregarding his wishes, except by relinquishing all claims under the will.  And so, many years ago, the Mather Safe came to be opened to the public on the conditions already declared.  At first, it was matter of surprise that so many persons appeared to claim the privilege of Farrel’s singular legacy.  Carefully enveloped packages had been consigned to various periods of oblivion by all conditions of men and women.  These were numbered and registered in a volume kept for the purpose; they were severally addressed, perhaps to a specified descendant of some living person, perhaps to the future occupant of some professor’s chair or metropolitan pulpit.