By doing that, he laid himself open to ridicule.

【lay】他那么做招来了大家的嘲笑。

The most thoroughgoing ascetic could feel that he had a natural right to wander on Egdon—he was keeping within the line of legitimate indulgence when he laid himself open to influences such as these.

他纵情荒原，将自己置于其影响之下，并不出格，完全正当。