In the centuries before Atto's time, clerics from the lowest to the highest ranks were known to take counsel from magicians, or seers. This practice – and the general fear that clergymen were corrupted by or becoming magicians – died out in the middle of the 9th Century. Atto inexplicably decided to warn against the consultation of magicians and seers in all ranks of the clergy during his time as Bishop of Vercelli, although there is little evidence that it was still widely regarded as a problem.