Summary
The Father of the House of Salomon transitions into explaining to the narrator what kind of jobs are available to the House of Salomon workers.
Twelve men are given the role of Merchants of Light, meaning they are the ones who travel out into the world every 12 years and return with knowledge about other civilizations.
Others collate their findings while still others try new experiments based on this information. Each role is given a particular title like "Mystery-men" or "Pioneers."
The Interpreters of Nature are a group of three people who synthesize the experimental findings into "greater observations, axioms, and aphorisms." There is a strict hierarchy at work among these various roles, and there are apprentices and novices who make their way toward these titled positions.
At Salomon's House, they pray to God daily and observe a number of ordinances and rites related to invention and discovery.
When the Father finishes his explication, he stands up and places a hand on the narrator's shoulder. He blesses him, and gives him permission to publish everything he has heard for the knowledge of other nations.
Before departing, he gives him money for his crew.
Analysis
In the concluding section of New Atlantis (though it is understood that Bacon intended to continue the story beyond this point), the Father of Salomon's House explains the basics of the Baconian Method through the roles available to people in the process.
The titled positions that the Father describes to the narrator are significant because they are figurative representations of scientific deduction and logical reasoning. The "Merchants of Light," for example, represent preexisting knowledge that inspires experimentation (as these "merchants" bring back information from other civilizations every 12 years).
The "Interpreters of Nature," arguably one of the most important positions at Salomon's House, use the findings from research and experimentation in order to draw conclusions about the natural world in the form of "greater observations, axioms, and aphorisms."
In explaining the role that each position plays, the Father of Salomon's House also explains how humanity comes to better understand themselves and their world while making forward progress toward innovation and invention.
Though the people of the island are practicing Christians, the narrative also presents the Father of Salomon's House as a near-divine leader in the eyes of his people and the narrator himself. That he is called the "Father" of Salomon's House contributes to this divine portrait, as "Father" is the title given to God, as well as to Christian priests. When the narrator takes his leave of the Father, the Father places a hand on his shoulder and blesses him, telling him that he has permission to publish this experience for the rest of Europe to read. The divine attributes of the Father of Salomon's House help convey the message that this science-based utopia is divinely inspired and consecrated by God himself. Thus, while many might perceive that science and religion are at odds with one another, New Atlantis suggests that scientific discovery is not only in line with Christian faith, but is the very will of the creator Himself.
