Right. In general relativity the fact that you can't escape a black hole isn't about velocity, it's about geometry. There's literally, physically, no path out.
But that is due to extreme curvature on account of the body’s mass. I think that John Michell was on the right path to discovering black holes, but the sciences known to him and his time weren’t sufficient for him to complete the thought.
these two concepts are distinguishable, since velocity ends up being about geometry.