《宋故谏议方公墓志铭》新证

New Research on Song Fang Shenyan Epitaph

薛彦乔先生有《北宋广州知州兼劝农市舶使方慎言墓志铭初考》一文,考证宋代广州知州方慎言一生行止。文中所涉及的《宋故谏议方公墓志铭》现藏于广州海事博物馆。该墓志铭由慎言侄方偕撰文,子方苹书写,以及后进宋宜、林稹等多人分工操办,文、书、刻、篆俱佳,内中详载了慎言的家世、仕宦、政声等,具有较高的史料价值。方慎言是莆田"长史派"方氏的代表人物,自28岁登进士第后,40余年间辗转信丰、兰溪、福州、建州、泉州、徐州、达州、两浙、潭州等地,历任知县、通判、侍御史、转运使、知州等职。69岁时,方慎言因为政练达、政声卓著,获任广州知州兼市舶使,最终卒于任上。此次任职,揭示了北宋王朝选用重臣的标准,也体现了中央朝廷对于海外贸易的重视。

Song Fang Shenyan Epitaph is collected in Guangzhou Maritime Museum. The tomb owner Fang Shenyan once was the chief magistrate and the city ship officer. This epitaph was written by Fang Shenyan’s niece Fang Xie and copied down by his son Fang Ping. His younger generations, such as Song Yi, Lin Zhen, and so on, work with a due division of labour, to make the epitaph remarkable in the content, copy, and engraving. The epitaph have a high value of historical materials because of the content of the details of his family, official experience, reputation, etc. Fang Shenyan is the representative of Fang’s in Putian Long History Group. After he got the Scholar of Jin Shi in his 28, he passed through Xinfeng, Lanxi, Fuzhou, Jianzhou, Quanzhou, Xuzhou, Dazhou, Liangzhe, Tanzhou, etc. During that time, he assumed the office of transhipment envoy, magistrate, etc. Because of his prominent political experience, he got the position of Guangzhou’s chief magistrate and the city ship officer in his 69, and finally died in office. This appointment, revealing the standard of choosing important officials in Northern Song Dynasty, and showing that the central government paid great attention on Guangzhou’s overseas trade.