▁it ▁across ▁the ▁water . ▁To ▁all ay ▁the ▁f rog ' s ▁susp ic ions , ▁the ▁sc orp ion ▁arg ues ▁that ▁this ▁would ▁be ▁safe ▁since , ▁if ▁he ▁st ung ▁the ▁f rog , ▁both ▁would ▁d rown . ▁The ▁f rog ▁agre es , ▁but ▁mid way ▁across ▁the ▁river ▁the ▁sc orp ion ▁does ▁indeed ▁st ing ▁the ▁f rog . ▁When ▁asked ▁the ▁reason ▁for ▁his ▁il log ical ▁action , ▁the ▁sc orp ion ▁explains ▁that ▁this ▁is ▁simply ▁his ▁nature . ▁The ▁earliest ▁ver ifiable ▁appearance ▁of ▁this ▁variant ▁was ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 4 ▁script ▁of ▁Or son ▁W elles ' ▁film ▁Mr . ▁Ark adin . ▁On ▁account ▁of ▁its ▁dark ▁mor ality , ▁there ▁have ▁been ▁many ▁popular ▁references ▁since ▁then . ▁The ▁moral ▁that ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁hope ▁of ▁reform ▁in ▁the ▁basically ▁v icious ▁was ▁common ▁in ▁ancient ▁times ▁and ▁was ▁exempl ified , ▁for ▁example , ▁in ▁A es op ' s ▁f able ▁of ▁The ▁Far mer ▁and ▁the ▁Vi per , ▁but ▁no ▁evidence ▁exists ▁of ▁a ▁link ▁between ▁them . ▁ ▁Cla ims ▁are ▁sometimes ▁made , ▁also ▁without ▁supporting ▁evidence , ▁that ▁the ▁f able ▁of ▁the ▁f rog ▁and ▁the ▁sc orp ion ▁is ▁of ▁Arab ▁origin , ▁but ▁the ▁authentic ▁West ▁Asian ▁stories ▁in ▁which ▁these ▁two ▁appear ▁are ▁completely ▁different . ▁A ▁S uf i ▁source ▁from ▁the ▁ 6 th ▁century ▁illustr ates ▁divine ▁prov idence ▁with ▁the