"And now," said the Patriarch, "you will make my house your own, and regard me as your older brother." Mar Shimon was thirty-eight years old, above the middle stature, well-proportioned, with a pleasant, expressive, and rather intelligent countenance; and his large flowing robes, his Koordish turban, and his long gray beard, gave him a patriarchal and venerable appearance, that was heightened by a uniformly dignified demeanor.

But for the fire in his eye and his activity, he would have been thought nearer fifty than thirty-eight.

Being the temporal as well as spiritual head of his people, the difficulties of his situation were assigned as the cause of his hoary hair and beard.
During the five weeks spent in the patriarchal mansion, Dr.Grant had an opportunity to see Nestorians of intelligence and influence from all parts of the mountains, and elicited from them information such as he could not have gained in any other way.

At parting, the Patriarch presented him one of the ancient manuscripts of his library.

It was the New Testament, written on parchment, in the old Estrangelo character, seven hundred and forty years before.