The seventeenth century is probably the first in English history in which more people emigrated than immigrated. In the course of the century, something over one-third of a million people, mainly young adult males, emigrated across the Atlantic. The largest single group made for the West Indies; a second substantial group made for America, in particular Virginia and Catholic Maryland, and even Puritan New England. The pattern of emigration was a fluctuating one, but it probably reached its peak in the 1650s and 1660s. For most of those who emigrated, the search for employment and a better life was almost certainly the principal cause of their departure. For a clear minority, however, freedom from religious persecution took precedence. Moreover, an increasing number were forcibly transported as a punishment for criminal acts. In addition to these transatlantic emigrants, an unknown number emigrated to Europe and settled there. The largest group were probably the sons of Catholic families making for religious houses in France and elsewhere. There were also some adventurers who were willing to fight in any cause if the pay were good.