Buckingham's own poetical works consist of some pindarics in memory of Lord Fairfax, a few occasional verses, and a number of satires and lampoons first collected by Tom Brown in 1704–5 (many of the pieces attributed to him in this collection are not his). As a dramatic author the ‘Rehearsal’ constitutes his sole claim to remembrance. From their first appearance Buckingham had been an unsparing critic of the heroic dramas which came into vogue at the Restoration. Howard's ‘United Kingdoms’ and one of Dryden's plays are said to have been damned by his ridicule (Spence, Anecdotes, p. 62; Key to the Rehearsal). His attack upon this class of plays was for some years in preparation. It is said to have been ready for the stage in 1665, and the ‘Session of the Poets’ announced that ‘a play tripartite was very near made,’ in which the duke was assisted by ‘malicious Mat. Clifford and spiritual Spratt’ (Poems on Affairs of State, i. 206). The original hero of the piece was, according to a doubtful tradition, Sir Robert Howard, under the name of Bilboa (Key to the Rehearsal). Internal evidence shows that Bayes was originally intended to represent Sir William D'Avenant. After his death Buckingham made Dryden the chief character, and personally instructed Lacy, who acted the part, how to deliver his verses (Spence, Anecdotes, p. 63). The ‘Rehearsal’ was first performed on 7 Dec. 1671 at the Theatre Royal. Evelyn notes in his ‘Diary,’ under 11 Dec.: ‘Went to see the Duke of Buckingham's ridiculous farce and rhapsody called the Recital, buffooning all plays, yet profane enough’ (ii. 272). A contemporary news-letter says: ‘I am told the fame of the Duke of Buckingham's new play has reached the French court, and that that king asked Mons. Colbert when he would write him a play, who excusing his want of talents that way to serve him, the king told him he would be out of fashion, for the chief minister of state in England had gotten a great deal of honour by writing a farce’ (Hist. MSS. Comm. 6th Rep. p. 368).
The ‘Rehearsal,’ first printed in 1672, reached a fifth edition in 1687, ‘with amendments and large additions by the author.’ It was long popular on the stage, and was imitated by Fielding in his ‘Tom Thumb the Great,’ and by Sheridan in the ‘Critic.’ A ‘Key’ to the play was printed in 1705, in the second volume of Buckingham's ‘Miscellaneous Works.’ It was republished, with notes and a valuable preface, in 1868, in Arber's ‘English Reprints.’
Buckingham was also the author of two adaptations of older plays. 1. ‘The Chances,’ a version of Fletcher's play of the same name, printed in 1682 as ‘corrected and altered by a person of honour,’ and reprinted in Evans's edition of Buckingham's ‘Works’ (1775). It is possible that this is the play which Pepys saw performed on 5 Feb. 1667 (Diary, ed. Wheatley, vi. 162). 2. ‘The Restoration, or Right will take place,’ published in 1714. This is an adaptation of Beaumont and Fletcher's ‘Philaster.’ Genest asserts that it was never acted, and calls in doubt Buckingham's authorship; but the prologue and epilogue printed in Buckingham's ‘Works’ are clearly his, and were probably written in 1683 (Works, i. 9–12). In addition to these, Buckingham wrote a piece called ‘The Battle of Sedgmoor,’ directed against the Earl of Feversham, and a dialogue called ‘The Militant Couple,’ both printed in 1704 (ib. i. 15, 239).
In 1685 Buckingham published ‘A Short Discourse on the Reasonableness of Men having a Religion,’ and a defence of it entitled ‘The Duke of Buckingham's Letter to the unknown author of … a short Answer to the Duke of Buckingham's Paper,’ &c. Both are reprinted in the ‘Somers Tracts’ (ix. 18, ed. Scott). This led to a lively controversy, in which Buckingham was attacked by Edmund Blount, and defended by William Penn and others. According to Wood he also wrote ‘A Demonstration of the Deity,’ which does not appear to have been published. Some other writings on religious questions are included in his ‘Miscellaneous Works.’ Extracts from a commonplace book of Buckingham's are given in an article in the ‘Quarterly Review’ for January 1898.
Buckingham's ‘Miscellaneous Works,’ collected by Tom Brown, were published in 1704–5, with a number of pieces by other wits of the period. A third edition appeared in 1715. Other editions are 1754, 1 vol. 12mo; by T. Evans, 2 vols. 8vo, 1775. Thomas Percy agreed to publish an edition for Tonson in 1761, which was partially printed, but never completed, and destroyed by fire in 1808. A copy of this unfinished work is in the British Museum (Nichols, Literary Anecdotes, iii. 753, Illustrations, vii. 567).
[Doyle's Official Baronage, i. 260; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss, iv. 207; Walpole's Royal and Noble Authors; Collins's Peerage, ed. Brydges, vol. iii., under title ‘Jersey;’ Brian Fairfax's Life of Buckingham, originally published in Horace Walpole's Catalogue of the Curious Collection of Pictures of George, Duke of Buckingham, 1758, 4to, is reprinted in the preface to Mr. Arber's edition of the Rehearsal; Pepys's Diary, ed. Wheatley; Memoirs of Sir J. Reresby,
