Herod with the Cormwell's eczema

• H ... C ... e: HCE

• Herod: the name of several ruler's in Palestine around the time of Christ → Herod Antipas was enamoured of his stepdaughter Salome, whose dance he rewarded with the head of John the Baptist → his father Herod the Great died from a horrible disease (Fournier's gangrene and scabies have been diagnosed, but not eczema)
  • Herod

• Cromwell: Oliver Cromwell, to whom HCE was compared in Hosty's ballad → Cromwell suffered from malaria (possibly) and "stone" (i.e. kidney or urinary infections), but not eczema

• Cornwall: HCE is also equated with King Mark of Cornwall in the story of Tristan and Isolde (Sir Tristram and Iseult)

• eczema: a skin disease