And perhaps after some others.
There are also other words whose syllables are sometimes contracted, sometimes not; as bower, heaven, prayer, nigher, towards, and many more of the like nature, but they generally ought to be used but as one syllable; and then they suffer an elision of the vowel that precedes their final consonant, and ought to be written thus, bow'r, heav'n, pray'r, nigh'r, tow'rds.
The termination ism is always used but as one syllable; as,
"Where grisly Schism and raging Strife appear."—Cowley.
"And Rheumatisms I send to rack the Joynts."—Dryden.
And, indeed, considering that it has but one vowel, it may seem absurd to assert that it ought to be reckoned two syllables; yet in my opinion those verses seem to have a syllable more than their due measure, and would run better if we took one from them; as,
"Where grisly Schism, raging Strife appear,"
"I Rheumatisms send to rack the Joynts."
Yet this opinion being contrary to the constant practice of our poets, I shall not presume to advance it as a rule for others to follow, but leave it to be decided by such as are better judges of poetical numbers.
The like may be said of the terminations asm and osm.