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171 ST. PUSINNA 171 and Pnlcheria deservo the credit of en- trusting this important work to capable and worthy men, and of giving it to their Bubjects. (GregorovioB, Athenais,) Pnlcheria continued to govern nntil Chrysaphins, one of the emperor's favourite officers, inspired Eudocia with jealousy of her ascendency, and Theo- dosius, after resisting the influence of his wife and his minister as long as his feeble nature was able, complied with their suggestion that the reins should be taken from her hands, and to this end, commanded St. Flavian, bishop of Con- stantinople, to make her a deaconess of his church. Had this been done, she could never again have taken part in secular affairs, but Flavian, who con- sidered her duty was at the helm of the State, secretly sent a message advising her not to be found when she should be sent for. She accordingly withdrew from Court in 447, and lived quietly for a few years, at a country place of her own, in the plains of Hebdomon. During her absence, the empire and the Church fared badly. In 440, was held the second council of Ephesus, called Latrocinium (assembly of robbers). Pope Leo I., the Great, wrote to Pnl- cheria urging Ber to return to Con- stantinople and remonstrate with her brother on the persecutions and abuses which were carried on in his name. This she did with such effect that Theodosius at once banished Chrysa- phius. Theodosius II. died in 450. His daughter Eudoxia was married to Yalen- tinian III., emperor of the West, but no one in either empire thought of making over the succession to them. j?alcheria became sole empress ; but as it was unprecedented that the empire should be ruled by a woman, solely in her own right and name, it was expedient, not- withstanding her age and her vow of virginity publicly made, that she should marry. Her choice of a husband was as wise and as popular as hor other decisions. She gave her hand to Marcian, one of the most distinguished generals in the imperial service, making him her col- league and consort. She was over fifty, and ho, little under sixty. He was of obscure birth and had risen by his own merit without bribery or patronage. He had won laurels in the wars against the Persians and the Vandals, and had ener- getically carried out the wishes of Pnlcheria and her brother in the interests of the persecuted Christians in Persia and the Catholics in North Africa. Mar- cian had a daughter Euphemia, whom Pulcheria married to Anthimius, after- wards emperor of the old Bome. Pulcheria died in 450, and Marcian, by firm and equitable rule, continued to justify her choice for seven years. He stopped the advance of the barbarians. He repeatedly demanded from Genseric the release of Pulcheria's niece Eu- doxia, widow of Yalentinian, and her daughter St. Placidia (3). Among Pulcheria's claims to the vene- ration of the Church, her promotion of the worship of the B. V. Mary is prominent; dedications in her name were not as yet so usual as they soon became. Pulcheria built three magnifi- cent churches in Constantinople, in honour of the Mother of the Saviour; one of these had for its chief treasure, the girdle of the Blessed Virgin ; another possessed her shirt, while the third boasted of a picture of the B. Virgin, . painted by St. Luke. l^ilcheria appears in the B,M,, Sept. 1 < ), and is also honoured, July 7, and with her husband Marcian, Feb. 17. There is abundance of contemporary testimony to all the chief events of the life of this empress. Among modem authorities are Gibbon, Lebeau, Sismondi, Stephens (W. B.), St, Chrytostom, his Life and Times. Her special works of piety and claims to saintship are treated of by Tillemont, Baillet, Butler. St. Pulvenna, honoured at Berri. Guerin. St. Pumice or Pumbia, July 27, V. in Scotland. GuMn. St. Pusinna or Pusine, April 23. Perhaps 6th century. Very little is known about her. It is said that she was the daughter of Sigmar and St. Lu- TRUDE, sister of St. Hoylda. She never went visiting, knowing how Dinah came to mischief when so engaged. She has been erroneously called abbess of St. Maurice, and abbess of St. Laurence.